Excerpt from Too Hot to Handle: A Marshal Pedley Novel 

Tinder-dry woodwork and crumbling plaster concealed by a veneer of shabby brick or brownstone. Narrow stairs. Doorways blocked by baby buggies and tricycles. Antique fire escapes. Outlawed half-attics full of forbidden trash on which flames might Spread from building to building with the Speed of a string of exploding firecrackers.