San Anselmo Play-Well

Between 1976-1988 there had been various house fires at different locations. By 1985, there had been evidence of more than 52 fires caused by the product. After hearing the report, Kevin Cummins stated “I strongly believe there is nothing Mistral can do, except recall all units”. In 1988, two children were killed in a house fire started by the fan. This created a public warning about the faulty model. Senior executives noted that the manufacturing process was not of high quality, and the plastic case surrounding the fan was combustible. Instead of reporting to the public, Mistral tried to protect its corporate image at the expense of public safety. In addition, management gave misleading figures about the number of fans that had caught fire,

In January 1988, two children died from a house fire in Melbourne, Australia. This ordeal was onset by a Mistral Gyro Aire fan that caught fire. This event was preceded by 52 other fire incidents that were caused by the fan, and by 1977, it had already been determined that Mistral, the Australian fan company, had products that did not live up to American flammability standards. In 1984, John Hasker, the CEO of Mistral, had tendered his resignation, and he stated that his departure was incited by multiple examples of ineffective management, which included substandard product quality. In 1985, Kevin Cummins, Mistral’s lead product designer, stated that nothing could be done about the fires except for a recall. Mistral began a systematic

In West Warwick Rhode Island, on February 20th, 2003, during the performance of the band Great White, a fire broke out that eventually claimed the lives of 100 people and injured an additional 200. The band’s tour manager arranged for, and ignited pyrotechnic props, large fireworks designed to display a shower of sparks. The sparks ignited foam soundproofing near stage. The fire spread quickly. Most were killed either in the crush to exit the building or overcome by fumes while trying to find an exit. The immediate cause was well documented due to witness reports and a videotape that was taken during the concert. In the period that followed the tragedy there were many attempts to fix blame. Following a Grand Jury

In August of 1978 three teenage girls were driving a Ford Pinto and were struck from behind. The three girls died because the Ford Pinto’s fuel tank ruptured from the collision and burst into flames. There was a big debate about the safety of the Ford Pinto to its proneness to its fuel tank catching on fire in low-speed rear-end

This tragic fire demonstrated how the fire inspections and precautions were noticeably lacking safety for these workers even though “a little more than five months before the tragedy Firemen Edward F. O’Conner made a routine inspection and said the Asch Building was ‘good’ and the building was ‘fireproof’”(28). The fire finally died down with over one hundred dead bodies piled along the streets. Sunday morning “thousands of people began to form into a slowly moving parade around the city blocks”(89). The people were walking in honor of these workers and would go around trying to identify the bodies and confiscate any items the bodies my have possessed for reminiscences. On the other hand, the departments felt immediate quilt for not stepping in to fix the Asch building before, because the departments knew of the horrible safety and health precautions the Asch building had but nobody emphasized the problems. “But who was to blame?” (113). Chief Croker was quick to blame

Three members were attending to the apparatus and wading in the foam-water-petroleum mixture which was accumulating on the ground. Commissioner Rizzo and Gulf Refinery manager Jack Burk were on an overhead catwalk nearby observing the fire fighting operation. Without warning the accumulating liquid surrounding Engine 133 ignited, immediately trapping the three firefighters working at Engine 133. Instinctively and without hesitation other nearby firefighters dove into the burning liquid to rescue their comrades, not aware of the danger to themselves. Five more firefighters would be consumed by the advancing fire. The flames just engulfed them," said Commissioner Joseph Rizzo, describing how he escaped the first of dozens of explosions but looked back to see three of his men sealed in flames.

On Monday, February 22, 2016, Mark Heleker, a high school principle's cars were broken into and house burnt to the ground. The fire also ruined his vehicles. The family was able to get themselves and their pets out of the house without being injured.

The Grand Jury initiated a case against Ford after a tragic accident occurred on 10th August 1978 along U.S. Highway 33 near Goshen, involving a 1973 Ford Pinto car that was struck from the rear by a van. On board of the 1973 Ford Pinto there were two sisters (Judy and Lynn Ulrich) and their cousin Donna Ulrich who succumbed to burnt injuries after Pinto’s gas tank ruptured and got into flames in the process.

Personal evaluation of this case would take into consideration the fact; one engineer did offer a document indicating and estimate for the cost of value refitting which would prevent the Ford Pinto from bursting into flames should a rear end collision occur. A simple, $1, plastic gadget weighing one pound fitted over the gas tank bolts would have prevented the tank from being punctured. Conclusion was that "it was more economical to let people die and settle the suits afterward" (Newton and Ford, 2008). Put simply, the Ford corporate heads believed no project was worth manufacturing if the cost-benefit indicated a greater cost than the benefit. Further evaluation of the analysis indicated if the

The Howard Street Tunnel fire that occurred on 18 July, 2001 was a serious emergency incident that had the potential to become a catastrophic incident. On the day in question 10 cars out of a 60 car freight derailed causing a significant hazardous material spill, a subsequent fire, and a water main bursting due to the heat. Since the incident involved multiple levels of agency response all three levels of government were involved, spending around $12 million to clean up, and repair damage. Fortunately there were no fatalities, but a number of people were treated for numerous chemical related afflictions at area hospitals. The city of Baltimore was mostly prepared for the incident, and quickly initiated the incident command system (ICS) within minutes of arriving on the scene of the emergency. Despite being mostly prepared for the emergency there were several areas where responding agencies could improve on.

In 1972 a Ford Pinto, purchased six months prior, unexpectedly stalled on the freeway in California. The Pinto was hit from behind by a Ford Galaxy, erupting into flames instantly. The driver of the car, Lilly Gray, suffered from fatal burns and died a few days later in the hospital. The passenger, a 13-year old boy named Richard Grimshaw, was also severely injured from burns, which caused his face and body to be permanently disfigured.

“A district firefighter was arrested Thursday and charged with setting his vehicle on fire in Prince George’s County in an attempt to defraud his insurance company…[he] was charged with one count of arson and one count of committing a malicious burn for fraud…charging documents state that investigators determined that gasoline had been poured on the seats and ignited with a match” (washingtonpost.com)

The Locomobile with the 2 men and dog occupants moves toward the vicinity of explosion. When they reach it they see people milling about. The fire trucks, police and cars are parked haphazardly about the street. (Reed, 49)

In the late 1990’s and early 2000’s several accidents were reported of Ford Explorers equipped with Firestone tires rolling over as a consequence of tires’ failures. By the end of 2000 the death toll was estimated at more than 250, and some

One of the biggest automotive news stories in the latter part of the 1970’s dealt with tales of exploding Ford Pintos and the considerable awards civil court juries were presenting to victims of accidents involving the cars.