Skip to main content
DRAFT FOR ATTORNEY REVIEW — NOT FINAL

Merchants Mutual Ins. v. Face Place, Inc., 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 511 (2006)

Citation
Merchants Mutual Ins. v. Face Place, Inc., 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 511 (2006)
Parent Document
Merchants Mutual Ins. v. Face Place, Inc., 20 Mass. L. Rptr. 511 (2006)
Jurisdiction
Massachusetts (state)
Effective Date
2006-02-10

Other Sections in This Document (73)

Full Text

810 chars
According to Fain, the first-floor area above where the fluorescent light fixture was installed was a heavily traveled atrium area containing a raised platform used by diners in the food court of the Mall. On August 10, 1999, insulation on the wires supplying electricity to the fixture broke down after 8 to 9 years of constant move*514ment of the improperly anchored and non-grounded BX cable. When Gilligan turned on the fluorescent light on the morning of the fire, an electrical arc or high resistance discharge occurred within the wiring to the fixture which produced sufficient heat to ignite the surrounding combustibles. Because of the confined area, the fire smoldered for a considerable time in the ceiling area above the sprinkler heads before entering the area below and triggering the sprinklers.