Great Chicago fire is an example of negligence case that occurred back in 1897 in Chicago leading causing death to many American citizens. The history of the cause of the fire is wanting because it is believed that it was caused by O’Leary’s cow which she was milking then it hit the a lamp which spread fire catching firewood which further spread to the environments causing a lot of damage to the Chicago community members and their property. In fact, it killed about 300 people and left approximately more than 100,000 citizens homeless. The evidence of torts and administrative agencies apply very well in this case (Bales 24).
It is worth noting that, very many participants, in this case, were negligent in their roles. First, the owner of the cow acted negligently for observing fire start and ignoring it instead of taking the initiative to ensure that it was put off. On the other hand, the administrative agencies a good example being the firefighter officers also failed in their duty because they did not take the initiative of ensuring that the fire was controlled before it caused much damage. Besides, the community members also acted negligently for failing to take any action during the event.
Ethical Consideration
All the participants mentioned above acted irresponsibly towards the issue and the reason as to why there was much damage in the community. O’Leary should have communicated her case to the other members to help in addressing the matter before it becomes out of control. She should have acted ethically by focusing on putting off the fire when it started instead going to sleep to wait for it to cause more harm. The other participants should also have acted responsibly for taking control of the fire before it spread that much.
Work Cited
Bales, Richard. The Great Chicago Fire and the Myth of Mrs. O'Leary's Cow. Jefferson, NC.: McFarland, 2002. Print.
