Kansas City So. Rly. Co. v. Beaty

Ed. F. McFaddin, Associate Justice.

Six cases against the appellant were consolidated in the Trial Court; and from jury verdicts and judgments in favor of the plaintiffs, there is this appeal. The entire litigation stems from a forest fire which occurred in late October 1963 and caused considerable damage to forest lands and destruction of personal property. The plaintiffs alleged that the fire was caused by a locomotive negligently operated by appellant; that because of appellant’s negligence in allowing rank vegetati on the fire quickly spread from the railroad right-of-way to adjacent lands…