Fire Informative Essay: The Hartford Circus Fire

On July 6th of 1944, the state of Connecticut experienced a terrible accident, this fire did more than just take the lives of many by also affecting others in a mental aspect. This accident was that of the Hartford Circus Fire. It was a fire that resulted in the entire destruction of a circus and lives lost by many of the circus’ very own staff, along with many spectators. Many years later, the cause of this fire is still up to some speculation among authorities. This essay will dig into the event of the fire, the investigation of the fire, and the possibilities of what could have happened to cause the fire. This essay will discuss the actions taken by investigating parties with an ethical analysis in mind, as well as an analytical
Brophy was a veteran fire investigator and was regarded as an expert in the field. Though an expert it should be noted that he did not examine the scene however until over a month had passed since the Hartford circus fire. After examining the fire scene, he too concluded that the fire originated near the base of the wooden prop for the bleachers. He also did not notice any other evidence of additional wooden props or seats of bleachers being burned, similar to Hickey. But when he was asked about the evidence he discovered and his thoughts, Brophy explained that in his professional opinion, it was a possibility that the side wall of the tent could have dropped to the point near the wooden prop. Which could have ultimately resulted in an excess amount of fire at the location explaining why there was such a large amount of charring at the props base. He did not think the prop could have been ignited by a cigarette but did believe that if a certain amount of combustible material was placed near the wooden prop, such material could have been ignited by a cigarette or open flame of some sort. However, with a lack of proper evidence, Brophy could not confirm a definite cause of the