Spontaneous Human Combustion
Spontaneous Human Combustion does it real happen? Is it possible that a human body can just burst in to flames melting a person but leaving their feet and slippers? Is it more likely to happen to a man or a woman? Does it happen to animals? I was interested to find out more about this phenomenon.
Spontaneous Human Combustion does it real happen? Is it possible that a human body can just burst in to flames melting a person but leaving their feet and slippers? Is it more likely to happen to a man or a woman? Does it happen to animals? I was interested to find out more about this phenomenon.
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What exactly is Spontaneous human combustion and why does it happen?
Nobody has been able to come up with a solid explanation as to why it happens but the recorded cases show that the bodies were ignited; maybe from within side them selves, as all the reported bodies were near no external source of heat. Yet the bodies had been burnt at an intense heat, centred around the torso and only leaving the feet, legs, hands or arms. It remains more of a mystery when other flammable materials were near by, such as cloth or newspaper but they were untouched by the flames.
How could this happen? How could those other flammable items not have been touched? Imagine going round to your Aunt Ethel’s house one day to be confronted by a pile of ash, with her feet sticking out of the end wearing the slippers you brought her for Christmas and a box of chocolates still in the box, un-melted at her side? All the clothing the body had on is gone but the carpet by her remains, with nothing more on it than a greasy spot of body fat and soot.
This puzzling phenomenon was first recorded over 200 years ago in 1725 and more than 200 cases have been recorded since from around the globe. That first recording was made by, James Dunpont in his famous works, De Incendiis Corporis Humani Spontaneis. The Husband of the woman who was found badly burned and dead was acquitted of her murder and the French courts deemed it as an act of spontaneous human combustion.
There are many theories as to why this phenomenon happens. The people it happens two, men and women may have been drinkers and their bodies largely filled with alcohol, they may also have been smokers and were careless where the ash or the cigarette or pipe fell onto as they drifted off to sleep often after taking sleeping pills.
The extremities were left intact because the leg, arm had been sticking out away from the body, away from the potential circle of burning. Fire burns best upwards and fuelled by the body fat and possible alcohol the bodies would have caught fire and burnt fairly quickly. Then why was there no sign of a struggle, surly even if you were drunk or sleeping your instincts would kick in and at least attempt to move you from danger?
On July 7, 1951 a woman’s remains from such a death were sent to a crime scene bureau. In the package that was sent only fragments of glass that were found in the ash, teeth, one remaining shoe, a section of carpet and other objects that maybe held a clue as to why a body could be so destroyed by the fire but a small area from the body left completely untouched. The FBI’s simple answer was a simple ‘Human Candle Wick’ and everyone accepted it.
Supposedly the victim had maybe dropped a cigarette onto herself, which in turn had grown from a simmering to intense heat burning into the bodies fat, the fat seeps into the clothes causing the victim to burn like a Coleman lantern, the flames burning upward.
There have been no reports of animal combustion although there have been exploding cows and raining frogs. So the moral of spontaneous human combustion is, don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t take sleeping tablets and be in bed for 9.30 pm.
Author Lisa Leverton 12.13pm 6/10/2009
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User Comments
giftarist
On October 6, 2009 at 9:00 am
Very interesting and at some point scary..Nice job..
Frances Lawrence
On October 6, 2009 at 9:05 am
A fascinating subject, a very interesting read.
cardy
On October 6, 2009 at 9:14 am
You know I love anything like this what a fab article you have written loved it so interesting.
raman13
On October 6, 2009 at 9:17 am
excellent
Papa Sparks
On October 6, 2009 at 9:48 am
I remember this was in the news a lot back in 1983.
Nice to read something about it again.
Christine Ramsay
On October 6, 2009 at 10:33 am
It is a really weird phenomenon. Quite scary really. A very good write.
Christine
Mark Gordon Brown
On October 6, 2009 at 10:49 am
A good reason not to get fat – less flamable.
petercurtis97
On October 6, 2009 at 4:37 pm
A very interesting topic and good write.
Sourav
On October 6, 2009 at 4:43 pm
That’s very interesting!
http://www.triond.com/users/Sourav
STEVE666
On October 6, 2009 at 5:06 pm
Great article, although you have me worried seeing how I drink, smoke and take the occassional sleeping pill.
Paul Griffiths
On October 6, 2009 at 5:23 pm
Awesome topic… I love reading about this sort of thing!
There have been experiments with pigs where they put the pig in a dress and drop cigarettes on it in an effort to recreate SHC, and the whole wick effect thing does seem to hold water. That’s a job I’d like to have
Lostash
On October 6, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Youre not safe in bed either by all accounts! Im sure Ive come across accounts of this happening while asleep, with little damage to the bed after. Ive also read that it may be connected to ball lightning too! Its a fascinating subject in every way! Excuse my grammar in this comment too….I keep getting ‘forbidden’ if I use it correctly!
Frosty Johnson
On October 6, 2009 at 7:58 pm
I did go round my auntie Ethels and found a pile of ash but then i remembered we had her cremated two weeks earlier. Dickens writes about this in Bleak House, i must remember to lose a couple of pounds.
mo hoyal
On October 6, 2009 at 9:47 pm
Oh, I love this subject and have been fascinated by it for years-no, I’m not a weirdo either! I’ve seen the test done with the pig and also do tend to think of the candle wick thing and alcohol too. Nice, nice, thank you lillirose!
jimbob1
On October 7, 2009 at 12:18 am
Miss L
Spontaneous human combustion has long since been a bit of a mystery…and one that has fascinated me as a member of the fire service. The heat from SHC is so intense that the actual fire is very short lived…thus not giving off enough heat to create an ingnition temperature to other combustibles. Have seen documented research into this phenomenon over the years. Thanks for your research and for sharing this factual information with your hordes of readers. Jimbo
lillyrose
On October 7, 2009 at 4:46 am
All those points are indeed true. The tests on pigs, the fact that the heat is so intense it burns out quickly and the fact that people have been found in bed! So no smoking or leaving lights on while you sleep!
LilRoastBeef
On October 7, 2009 at 4:44 pm
SHC is fascinating subject matter. I really enjoyed the read and it actually brought back a lot of memories. There are more skeptics than believers though…do you believe in SHC???
lillyrose
On October 8, 2009 at 5:24 am
I believe it happens but as to why…. well that a whole other question.
deep blue
On October 9, 2009 at 7:15 pm
SHC had been fully documented on a number of paranormal books I’ve read and I do believe there’s a basis for it. Nice work Lisa.
WriteEditSeek
On October 10, 2009 at 12:44 am
Wow, weird! I’ve never heard of SHC. Interesting read.
JohnDaOne
On October 11, 2009 at 5:46 am
What if they were connected to electricity, and they’re water in their body started to turn into Hydrogen and oxygen, they would probably die B4 it set on fire, and it would be more of an explosion followed by the fat and clothes burning. Thats one way it COULD potentially happen, a thinks. Good article btw.
lillyrose
On October 11, 2009 at 6:05 am
well I don’t think they had electricity when the first ones were recorded but I can see how that could happen.
jaysland
On October 13, 2009 at 12:02 pm
When your hot your hot! Great article lillyrose, I saw a show on this once and its weird to think that this happens, I think its the candlewick theory. I would prefer to die of natural causes.
writing4angels
On October 14, 2009 at 5:58 am
Interesting, human combustion is new for me in physical terms, mentally yes most of us do!
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