Arizona republican., 1895-02-08
WIDE OPEN. Absence of Fire Limits
 in Phoenix. The Old Ordinance Null
 and Void.
Painful Possibilities Under the
 Existing Law.
Nothing to Prevent the Establish ment of Match Factory or Mag
 azine In the Heart of the City.

The late proposal to enact new fire limits ordinance has attracted the at- tention of property owners to the de- fects of the old one and aroused them to the realization of the want of pro- tection it affords.
 Everybody knew in general sort of way that Phoenix had fire limits and took it for granted that the regulations were sufficient. Now that the worth lessness of the ordinance has been exposed there is popular clamor for 8 municipal law which should have been enacted years ago.
 The old ordinance was passed in 1884, at time when Phoenix was struggling village and it served it's purpose at that time for there was then nothing to be done under an ordinance of that kind. Things have changed since then and the safety of the business district de- mands proper regulations.
 The old ordinance is weak and almost meaningless throughout but the two following sections relating to the char acter of the buildings which may be erected within the limits are notori- ousiy without meaning:
 SEC 2 All buildings or structures of any kind hereafter to be erected within the limits Of sad hre district of the city of Phoenix and all additions and enlargements thereof of any building now constructed in said limits shall have their outside walls and party walls made Of brick, stone or adobe or other lncombustible material, and such outside walls and party walls shall extend from the fou ndation to the top and through the roof of said building: the roof shall be covered with tin or some other in. m 2 tho 11oe eb,1I ho constructed as to separate all woodwork of the interior or exterior of such building or addition entirely rom any part of the interior or ex- terror of any adjoining building.
 SEC 3. All repairs of any building con- structed of incomoIsGible material shall be of the same class of material.
 City Attorney Israel speaking of these two sections yesterday said: You will notice from a careful reading of sec tions two and three that there is nc power to prevent man from building wooden fence to any height he pleas ed neither Is there any authority to prevent the erection of awnings of wood or any other com bustible material. A man can adorn hIs house with wooden cornices, other wooden or inhammable decorations, wooden oriel or bay-Win- dow frames.
 "You will also see by the reading o section two that the owner of a frame building already within the fire limits may enlarge it to any size hesdesires by using the same kind of infammable material. He might make big fire trap around the nucleus of little frame shanty, though he could not erect g wholly new frame building. There is nothing in it prohibiting wood side. walks and singularly enough a man could evade the law by encasing the walls of frame building within a single thickness of brick. Beside all this the law is generally so full of loopholes that successful prosecution could not bt maintained against person charged with plain violation of it. As the law now stands the duty devolves upon nc one of seeing it carried into effect.
 "Under this law match factory nigh be started in the heart of the city. ol one could maintain powder magazine of sufficient extent to make a repeti tion of the late Butte horror possible J
 The city attorney has drawn up an other ordinance and submitted it to the council, but action has been delayed The new ordinance changes the terri torial limits only slightly. The present fire district extends between Fourth street and Fourth avenue and from the alley south of Jefferson street to the