[Spivak]

It's crazy to me that people are arguing against two stair houses when I have a ladder in my single family home in case of a fire that blocks the stairs.

Fire in the only stairwell or a collapse, guess you just die or hope the fire department saves you before you suffocate.

[ido]

If only there was an article addressing exactly your concern!

[Spivak]

The article doesn't address this at all. There's only a passing mention of external fire escapes but no argument at all about alternative means of escaping a building in the absence of a the primary one becoming unavailable.

[ajmurmann]

The article claims that you don't need one because of the safety that comes from modern fireproofing in construction.