Roofing work causes fire at Stillwater hotel

Image 1 of 3

Photo credit: Stillwater Fire Department

Firefighters in Stillwater, Minnesota, were dispatched to the Lora Hotel on Main Street Tuesday morning after roofing work caused a fire.

Crews responded to the fire at 8:28 a.m. on the 400 block of Main Street where smoke was reportedly coming from the walls of the building, which is currently under construction.

Firefighters contained the fire to the area of origin, saving the historic downtown building. No one was injured in the fire.

According to the Stillwater Fire Department, the cause of the fire appears to be roofing work that was being done; workers were "installing roofing membrane and using heat to melt snow and ice, which caught the underlying timbers on fire."

As ice dams become an increasingly frequent problem in Minnesota, home and business-owners are reminded to use caution when working on rooftops.

Ice dams are long icicles on your rooftop that cause water to back up under the shingles, making water leak into your home. That means water is backing up under your shingles, and it can then leak into your home causing damage.