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(AP) -- Federal building safety investigators studying a West Warwick nightclub fire that killed 100 people said Tuesday they are about halfway through their investigation, but they need the public�s help in gathering information about materials in the building.

The Commerce Department�s National Institute of Standards and Technology is trying to determine what caused the building that housed The Station nightclub to become a deadly trap when a fire tore through it on Feb. 20. The fire started when a band�s pyrotechnics set fire to flammable foam placed around the stage as soundproofing.

The goal is to recommend improvements in the way buildings are designed, constructed, maintained and used. The NIST does not assign blame for building disasters.

�When we complete this effort, we want to be able to provide the kind of recommendations that could prevent this kind of tragedy from being repeated in other communities around the United States in the years to come,� said James Hill, acting director of NIST�s Building and Fire Research Laboratory.

As part of its investigation, the NIST reconstructed the nightclub�s stage area and conducted fire tests�both with and without sprinklers. The club did not have a sprinkler system.

In the test without sprinklers, flames spread along the foam on the wall and a flashover, in which everything combustible ignites, occurred in about 1 minute, 10 seconds. Thick, black smoke filled the test area in about 1 minute, 30 seconds.

When sprinklers were used, the flames and smoke were visibly reduced, said Bill Grosshandler, who is leading the NIST�s investigation of The Station fire.

But, he added, �the temperature, gas concentration, and heat release data need to be analyzed before a determination can be made on how long the conditions in the room would have remained survivable.�

The NIST is examining everything from the building�s exits and materials on its walls to how people moved as they evacuated and emergency personnel�s response time.

As part of its investigation, the NIST also established a partial floor plan of the club, mapping the location of vents, doors, windows and including details about ceiling height.  Investigators also developed a preliminary computer simulation of the fire.

But they are hoping fire survivors, club employees, previous patrons or anyone with information about the club and the materials used in the building will come forward.

�The ceiling tiles, paneling on the walls, and the type of foam can have a big influence on the fire spread,� said Grosshandler.  ï¿½We are specifically asking the public for information on the actual foam installed since its burning behavior is a critical piece of information that feeds into our computer simulations.�

The NIST has asked the Attorney General�s Office for information, but has not received it due to the state�s ongoing criminal investigation into the fire.

The NIST has the authority to conduct its investigation under the National Construction Safety Team Act, which went into effect in October 2002.

The agency makes recommendations for changes to building codes, standards and practices but has no regulatory authority. The results of its investigation cannot be used as evidence in any criminal case or lawsuit.

The team also is conducting a similar investigation into the Sept. 11, 2001 collapse of the World Trade Center towers.