It's very curious to me that Starkwall uses fire to burn down any alchemically dangerous locations and projects (such as the Institute, the Oxford People's Trust and maybe others I'm forgetting).
Sure, fire is deeply destructive and efficient, but in the alchemical worldview it's also a source of life. Solar fire is what keeps everything rolling in the world, and its impure form in sulphur is associated with souls in humans. On a less philosophical level, fire is also required for almost all alchemical work because of its transformative qualities. The Great Work begins with burning matter down to ashes so that something new can be created (which is why the Philosopher's Stone is often symbolised by a phoenix). Some alchemists even thought that sulphur (or the principle of combustibility) was needed to coagulate mercury to give it form (a task they repeatedly failed at).
So it seems like a considerable risk that their protocol involves indiscriminate arson. In fact, it's starting to seem more and more likely to me that the Archivist was created because of the fire. It could've been the spark that coagulated all of the Institute's mercurial ideals and goals into a physical form, possibly tying them to a host (who would be the salt in this formula). But this is pure speculation. The fact remains that the Starkwall guys seem either incompetent and uneducated on what they're actually dealing with, or actively malicious. (Or the secret third option, which is that it's not that deep bro)
