At its meeting Thursday night, the Ann Arbor City Council approved a first reading of an ordinance that would prohibit upholstered furniture on porches citywide, according to councilmember Mike Anglin (D–Ward 5) in an interview on Friday.

The ordinance comes four months after a deadly on-campus blaze that authorities suspect started with an outdoor couch catching fire, according to an April 5 article in The Michigan Daily.

The Apr. 2 fire gutted a rental house at 928 South State St., killing one tenant and injuring two others, the Daily article reported.

Since then, councilmember Christopher Taylor (D–Ward 3) backed the current ordinance.

As Anglin pointed out, this is not the first time council has discussed a ban on upholstered furniture on porches.

In July 2004, the council considered a similar ordinance that sought to ban upholstered furniture on porches and impose a $100 fine for violators, the Daily article reported.

The 2004 ordinance stated that “placing upholstered furniture on front porches can create fire conditions near the primary entrance/exit that can impede the occupants’ abilities to escape from a fire.”

Ann Arbor city council indefinitely proposed that ordinance in August 2004.

The current ordinance is set for a second reading in late September, at which point council will vote on it, Anglin said.

According to Anglin, councilmembers will use the interim to gather feedback from their constituents and listen to speakers slated to address council on the issue.