The Wrangell sentinel., 1937-04-02
FIR E l!

Now that the Douglas fire is thing of the past, we all calmly sit back and forget what price we have to pay yearly for the raYages of fire. It is so easy to let things take care of themselves until We are once again confronted by the horrible and realistic results of someone's negli- gence-oftentimes bringing about the death of scores of people.
 We may consider ourselves for tunate that we had only one major fire this past winter with all our cold weather and exceptionally high Winds-but that one fire meant one death and for the past few years we have totalled five deaths from fire. Why should there have been any? No one can deny the fact that prac tically every fire could have been prevented with proper precautlon.I But, as in so many things, We be- come careless because we have done it before and nothing happened.
 The recent Texas school disaster makes us realize how careless we as adults may become in our busy life of grabbing dollars. NO doubt, there are countless numbers of Tex as parents who lost children in the explosion, who are wishing, aud will spend the rest of their lives wishing, that they had stopped from their labors long enough to see that their school facilities were safe for their children. However, the wish ing will not do them a great deal of good now-except to prevent further disasters, in that section Of the country at any rate. Although we live miles away, there is not one of us who doesn't shudder at the thought of hundreds of children be- ing snuffed out like so many match es-but will that make us any more careful, or will We soon forget about it and think that nothing can nap. pen to us. More than likely, the lat ter is what will occur.
 How many homes in Wrangell have such a simple precaution as a fire extinguisher-and have that fire extinguisher in some place where it is available to any memDer of the family in an emergency? Not very many And how manp parents have ever taught their children how to use a fire extinguisher should the necessity ever arise? Maybe many ot us think that sounds silly-but it might mean the life of some mem- Der of your family and surely that should take it out of the silly cat egoryl
 How any homes have gasoline for cleaning and other household uses: Have you ever stopped to consider how highly inflamable gasoline is? Did you know an explosion may occur when gasoline is being used in one room and someone lights a match in another-or even opens the stove door?
 Did you know that rags which have been used for dusting and are covered with furniture oil are cap able of combustion when left in 6 pile in the corner of a closet or d drawer for any length of time?
 14dfE 5Ou AGd4AAC0 Indb d uuLADCA of our public buildings and apart ment houses have no fire escapes? Yet fire escapes are required accord ing to Ordinance No. 60.
 How many homes in Wrangell obey Ordinance 50 Section 20 which reads: All chimneys or flues fo. conducting smoke in all houses, buildings and structures in the City of Wrangell shall be constructed of good hard brick. stone or concrete and shall have walls not less than 4 inches in thickness. No chimney shall rest on a bracket unless it be less than ten feet in length" A walk down the streets will tell you that this section is flagrantly disobeyed.
 The building ordinance empowers the Inspector of Buildings or the Fire Marshal to condemn property