snip
The beneficial effect of fire has been well known for centuries. The
famous Great Fire of London in 1666 allowed architect Christopher Wren to
rebuild a model city. It is often rumored that the emperor Nero burned
Rome as a means of slum clearance. The Great Fire of Chicago in 1871
burned about the same percentage of the city as the Biscuit fire, and led
to a great economic boom as the city was rebuilt.

Unfortunately, our cities are suffering from a century of ill conceived
fire suppression, leaving massive unhealthy areas of decaying buildings.
We need to return to a policy of encouraging regular burns in our cities
to clear the ground for new development. The old buildings that are well
built will once again be exposed to sunlight as rapidly built but less
durable buildings are consumed.

Nothing like a little black humor to point up a problem. There's too d..
many people out there. At least fire is cleaner than plague.