Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1907-09-19
FIRE CHIEFS, MAYORS
AND TOWNSHIP CLERKS
Must Under Penalty, Report Fires TO
the Fire Marshal.
COMMON FIRE CAUSES.

COMMON FIRE CAUSES.
The success of the fire marshall de-
pends largely upon immediate report
from fire chiefs of every fire in which
there are circumstances which furnish
ground for suspicion that it was started
Intentionally.
The firemen on breaking into burn
ing building may get a oder of kero-
sene; or may see that the fire started
in two places; or may find beds or
stairs oil-soalxcd; or may learn that the
owner stood by making no effort to
save his furniture; or that the insur-
ance ON the house or its contents was
more than its value: or If it be a store
burning they may learn that the owner
was IN financial straights. In some
cities the chief mails a double post
card to the owner of burned building
in the return half of which there are
blanks for value, loss and insurance
The facts chief must put in the fire
marshal's blank are only those he
keeps for his own official record.
Burning to defraud is most common
in cities; burning from malice or for
revenge in the country,
Few of those required to report fires
in cities and villages eau draw fee for
it, because fire chiefs and mayors who
fixed salaries of more than $50 year
are not given fees.
TOWNSHIP CLERKS.
The township clerk on hearing of
fire in which the loss is said to be more
than $25, or If the cause of the fire is
unknown, must notify the fire marshal
forthwith and must begin an investi-
CATION of the circumstances within two
days. The blank furnished TO all re-
porters must be filed and forwarded
within week. A fee blank will be
furnished which is to be filed in at the
end OF the year, when payments viii
be made. The fee is $500, and 10
cents mile to and from the place of
the fire. Reports of suspicious circum-
stances attending fire are kept abso-
lutely secret by the fire marshal so
one does not make an enemy by giving
information.
The penalty for falling to report
fire is s25 to 5000.
IHD1CATIHo tue CAUSE.
'Carelessness" cannot be accepted as
the cause of a fire for the reason that
the majority Of all fires are from the
of some one, All fires, ex-
cept those started by the burning Of an
adjacent building or by an incendiary,
result from either carelessness or ignor-
ance.
Adjoining fire" is used to indicate
that the fire was started from The heat
or sparks from building burning near
by.
Ashes against wood" covers all fires
started by putting hot ashes or Goals
into boxes or barrels or against siding
or fences. II the cause is coal
dropped through crack In the stove,
it is charged TO defective stove"
Burning rubbish" indicates the
cause 70 have been sparks from pile
Of rubbish which was being burned 10
get rid of it, while rubbish burning"
indicates that a spark or blaze by acci-
dent lighted rubbish which had accum.
ulated from neglect.
"Chimney SCOT burning" is the label
for fires from dirty chimney burning
out. This Is a very common accident,
but II seldom fires house that has
good roof, and many housewives know
that handful Of salt on the fire below
it will extinguish burning soot
defective faer is the most common
fire cause. The word "fue7 indicates