his crew to start a fire in a 55-gallon barrel located four feet beneath a stairwell of exposed wood on the first floor. Ames and his crew left the fire unattended and went up to the third floor to start their work. Ames checked on the fire three times during the first hour and a half he worked. About ten minutes after Ames checked on the fire for the third time, he heard a crackling sound and then saw flames coming up to the third floor through the stairwell. He and his crew were able to escape from the burning building by climbing through a window and descending a brick mason's scaffolding.
Fire Marshall Russell Millan was the first fireman to arrive on the scene. He found the firewhich destroyed the building was caused by a careless drywall worker who started a fire in a 55-gallon barrel inside the building.
During his testimony, Holley admitted he burned the trash left on the job site in 55-gallon barrels. He also stated he and his workers had previously started fires in the barrels outside the building in order to warm their hands. However, he stated he had a *162 policy against burning in the barrels inside the building, and he had fired two men who started a fire in a barrel in the garage of a house.
Bill Buxton, an expert on fire safety, was hired to investigate the fire. He stated both Holley and Ames violated the standard of care required to be exercised at a construction site because