Hatcher v. Mullins

CULLEN, Commissioner.

Around 3:30 a. m. on July 6, 1952, in Pikeville, an industrial building owned by Jack T. Hatcher and an adjoining dwelling of John and Mellie Mullins were discovered to be on fire. The industrial building burned to the ground and the dwelling and its contents were substantially destroyed. The Mullinses sued Hatcher for damages, on the theory that Hatcher had kept and maintained his premises in such a negligent condition as to permit live coals to escape from a furnace and fall among inflammable materials kept near the furnace, thus starting a fire which spread to and…