Midland Residents Demand Fire Safety
Neighbors petition the county fire warden to stop a local mill from burning refuse in open air, fearing forest destruction.
The story, cleaned up
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County Fire Warden W. Thompson has received a communication from people living in Midland, remonstrating against the way in which the lumber company at that place disposes of its mill refuse. Sparks from the burning refuse frequently set fire to the forests during the dry season, and this year Midland people have taken time by the forelock and will endeavor to have the danger averted before it is possible to do much damage. Heretofore, during the dry season, property in that vicinity has been in great danger from forest fires started by sparks from the mill yard.
“Midland people have taken time by the forelock and will endeavor to have the danger averted.”
Long before modern environmental regulation, local residents were already organizing to hold industrial neighbors accountable for fire risks. This early activism in Midland mirrors contemporary concerns about industrial pollutants and wildfire risks on the urban-wildland interface in Pierce County.
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