Briones v. Mobil Oil Corp.

This appeal arises from a summary judgment entered against the plaintiff, a volunteer fireman, who sustained injuries while fighting a fire at the Mobil chemical complex in Joliet. The defendants are Mobil Oil Corporation (Mobil), the owner of the premises, and Aaron Equipment Company International Corporation (Aaron), an equipment-salvage company.

Mobil’s chemical complex was under demolition, and the vessels and reactors that were being removed by Aaron left large, exposed holes in the floor. On January 16, 1983, a fire was caused by sparks from a cutting torch used in the removal of other…