The Oil That Could Burn the City: Seattle’s First Major Fire Safety Law
In a move to prevent catastrophic blazes, the Common Council passes strict new rules for storing gasoline and kerosene, forcing merchants to build brick vaults or face heavy fines.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An ordinance providing for the storage of inflammable oils in the city of Seattle was submitted by the Common Council and laid over to the next meeting for discussion.
The proposed health ordinance states that hereafter it shall be unlawful for any person, firm, or corporation to store, permit the storage of, or keep for sale within the corporate limits of the city, in larger quantities than one hundred gallons, any naphtha, gasoline, crude petroleum, or any product of petroleum or hydrocarbon liquids, except as herein provided.
Section 2 mandates that all such inflammable liquids, when kept in greater quantities than 100 gallons, must be stored in a building or warehouse constructed of brick or stone. The roof must be covered with iron or other non-combustible material and not exceed one story in height. If the floor is wood, it must be placed immediately on the surface of the ground and have no cellar. No fire shall ever be permitted inside such a building.
Furthermore, the exterior of the building must prominently display in painted Roman letters at least two inches in length: 'Licensed for the storage of petroleum and forth.'
Section 4 dictates that no such building shall be situated anywhere within a distance of 50 feet of any dock, wharf, or landing landings, nor from the high water mark on the shores of Elliott Bay, or from the marginal line of Lake Union or Lake Washington.
The license fee for such buildings is set at $1 per month. Upon presentation of the treasurer's receipt and proof of inspection by the fire and water committee, the clerk shall issue the license. Any person violating these provisions shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than $500.
This ordinance effectively repeals all previous ordinances conflicting with its provisions and takes effect 30 days from publication.
Seattle’s history is defined by fire—most notably the Great Fire of 1889 that wiped out the downtown core. This 1906 ordinance represents a critical shift in urban planning: moving away from wooden structures near water and regulating hazardous materials like gasoline, which was becoming common with the rise of the automobile. It mirrors modern zoning laws that separate industrial hazards from residential areas.
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