Is Apple to blame for the Princeton fire
reported here earlier this month?
Not in the least, according to the findings of the fire department after the 2001 blaze. I've obtained all the documents and posted the relevant portions
here, and below.
On December 11, 2001, there was a fire in a laboratory in Moffett Hall at Princeton University. The University's insurance company paid out over $2 million to cover the claim. In March 2004, the Daily Princetonian
reported that the insurance company, Royal and SunAlliance Insurance, had sued Apple in a bid to recoup some of their expenses. An Apple Power Mac G4 (M5183) was among the pieces of equipment in use in the laboratory. The claim by the insurance company, handled by the law firm Clausen Miller, is ostensibly that the Power Mac G4 is somehow responsible.
However, Lisa Zimmaro of Princeton's risk management office was quoted in the original news article as saying "faulty wiring ignited the wood supporting a nearby cable tray". This didn't seem to support the insurance company's claim that Apple is responsible. Examination of the official report from the Borough of Princeton Fire Department and the subsequent findings of the fire inspector shed even more light on this subject. Below, you will find the relevant portions of the dozens of pages of reports from the Borough of Princeton and Princeton University on the fire.
http://mirror.services.wisc.edu/princeton/images/1.jpg
The object that caused the ignition of the fire is clearly identified as "Outlet, receptacle". The identification of the object as "Stationary" (as opposed to "Portable", such as a computer) further underscores this fact.
http://mirror.services.wisc.edu/princeton/images/2.jpg
The conclusion ultimately drawn by Princeton fire inspector Steve Webb is very straightforward. Nowhere is there a mention of a mafunctioning computer, any external factor, or external short. The fire originated
inside the electrical receptacle box.
http://mirror.services.wisc.edu/princeton/images/3.jpg
Again, the cause of the fire is clear.
Nowhere in any of the detailed accounts of the fire and subsequent reports and investigation is the computer, or any external device, blamed for the incident. The computer was nothing more than a load on the outlet; an electrical device drawing power from a faulty outlet hardly places blame on the device. Yet, the insurance company is suing Apple for damages.
It is this type of abuse of the legal system in the United States that wastes judicial resources and increases costs for everyone.
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