The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-12
SHINGLES BLAMED FOR RAPID SPREAD
 OF BIC TEXAS FIRE
Alabama Fire Prevention Society Meet Here Tomor- row to Consider Re-
 cent Disaster

The disastrous fire which destroyed
 property valued at more than S0,ooo,0Oo in Paris Tex, last month was not caused
 by lack of fire fighters; it was not due to lack of water nor was it attributable to the construction of the business district itself. It was primarily attributable to the
 shingle roof in the residence section, ac- cording to the report on the disaster made by the state fire marshal of Texas,
 which was given out here yesterday by
 the Alabama Fire Prevention society.
 This report on the fire, made by s. W.
 Inglish, Texas fire marshal, will be one
 of the questions considered at the meet ing of the Alabama Fire Prevention so- ciety here tomorrow at Il o'clock at the Morris hotel. The report of the Paris disaster will be considered from the
 viewpoint of the situation existing in Bir- mingham and in other cities and towns in Alabama and strenuous campaign
 will be started by the society to remedy conditions in this state, prevent repeti-
 ton of the recent conflagrations which have practically destroyed several south ern cities and start an education cam paign which will result in still further improvement of conditions and the prob- able reduction in fire insurance rates.
 The swiftness and completeness of the destruction in Paris is probably without parallel in the state, and in some re- spects in the nation" says the report of the Texas fire marshal, which was re- ceived here yesterday by the Alabama Fire Prevention society. "The destruction is even greater in it's completeness and burned area than that of the Baltimore conflagration in proportion to population.
 .fo,,, tion is to be had from this conflagra- ton that could be applied with profit by every city and town in the state. A most important lesson to be drawn is the haz- ard of the shingle roof. Modern history does not contain more perfect example of the conflagration hazard that is pres ent in every city or town where the shin- gle roof is prevalent.
 'The burning of the business district of Paris was not due to a lack of fire fight CTS; it was not due to lack of water; it was not due to the construction of the business district itself, but was primarily attributable to the shingle roofs of the residence section of the city. The fire men were not able to hold the blaze to the first building being burned for the reason that the brands carried by the high gale had set on fire buildings four, five. six and even 10 blocks away, and, in practically every instance, the fire started on the roof of the building. These in turn, would send their bulning brands on the wings of the wind to other build
 ngs with shingle roofs until every dwell ing on both the south and east sides of the business section was seething, roar
 ing mass of flames. and notwithstanding the fact that the roofs of the business buildings had refused to take fire from the burning embers that had fallen upon them like rain of hail for sometime, when the half circle of fire around the business district had closed in the in- tense heat of the wind-driven flames and the flying brands and coals which were many inches deep in the streets, broke through the windows and doors, and when once an entrance was effected, the doom of the business section was sealed Had the roofs of the dwellings in the path of the fire from it's point of origin to the business district been or noncompustip1e material. it is believed the fire depart ment of Paris alone could have easily