going to bed, the Mooresat the behest of their fatherunplugged all appliances in the house, except for the deep freeze and refrigerator.
David Moore returned to the Lang Moore household later that night, at approximately 1:00 a.m. He plugged in the air conditioner, and turned it on, in a futile attempt to get cooled off. The fan operated, but the compressor still failed to activate. David Moore nevertheless left the air conditioner plugged in and turned on, and went to bed in the bedroom which he shared with his brothers.
At roughly 2:00 a.m., an hour later, members of the Moore residence were awakened by the smoke from a fire which had broken out in the living room at the front of the house and was rapidly spreading. The Moorefamily successfully escaped the fire in the living room at the front of the house by slipping out their bedroom windows which opened up to the backyard of the residence. However, Roshanda Moore, the eight year old granddaughter of Lang Moore, Jr. and his wife Bertha, and the daughter of Bobbie Jean Moore, became lost in the smoke and confusion surrounding the Moores' evacuation of their house. She ultimately died in the ensuing blaze despite the attempts of Lang Moore, Jr., David Moore and firefighters to save her.
Maryland Casualty Co. subsequently paid $21,900 to Lang Moore, Jr., for the total destruction of his home by fire. This amount reflected the $22,000 policy limit for total loss of the home, less a $100 deductible. This payment left the plaintiffs