COLUMBIA--Senators considering a bill that would require sprinkler systems in hotels have asked that the bill be rewritten after two Charleston senators raised concerns about its impact on historic Charleston lodgings.

Sen. Verne Smith, R-Greer, proposed the bill after a Jan. 25 fire at a Greenville Comfort Inn that killed six people and injured 12. The five-story hotel, built in the 1980s, was not required to be equipped with sprinklers. Fire officials say some lives could have been saved if the building had sprinklers.

Smith's legislation called for all hotels to be equipped with sprinklers by July 1, 2007. Concerns about the bill's impact on motel and hotel owners led to a compromise this week that would have required only hotels taller than three stories to have sprinklers.

That proposal died Wednesday when several senators in a Labor, Commerce and Industry subcommittee raised concerns about the bill's financial impact on hotels. The committee told staff members to draft a new proposal.

Senate President Pro Tem Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, said the bill could put Charleston historic lodgings out of business "or is just impractical to comply (with)." He said lawmakers might have to exempt historic Charleston structures to win approval of the bill.

"I can't support something which would destroy historical buildings," he said. "On the other side, I think people should be put on notice if the building doesn't conform. We may need to put stricter requirements on alarm systems."

Sen. Robert Ford, D-Charleston, said adding sprinklers would create a financial hardship for at least two of the city's historic hotels. One answer might be to extend the compliance time for historic hotels, he said.

A second bill, this one submitted by Sen. David Thomas, R-Greenville, would require lodgings to put a sign close to the entrance of the property warning guests if the building did not have a sprinkler system.