# Spontaneous Combustion of Humans Reality?



## cadaveca (Sep 25, 2011)

Well, based on an event not even a year ago, it seems that this is true!



> A man who burned to death in his home died as a result of spontaneous combustion, an Irish coroner has ruled.
> 
> West Galway coroner Dr Ciaran McLoughlin said it was the first time in 25 years of investigating deaths that he had recorded such a verdict.
> 
> ...




http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15032614


Thoughts?


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## LAN_deRf_HA (Sep 25, 2011)

The big things for this cause of death classification are typically an unknown combustion source and the localized nature of the fire. Burning the body without much damage elsewhere and sometimes leaving limbs behind. From tests on pigs the nature of the burn has been found to be expected in fatty mammals that are set ablaze on furniture and such. The ignition point can be hard to pinpoint, but it always has a cause even if the investigators can't decide on one. No one bursts into flames for no reason. In this case I wouldn't rule out that fireplace. Even if it was closed he could have opened it and got an ember on his clothing before sitting down.


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## FordGT90Concept (Sep 25, 2011)

The human body is some 70% water.  In short, there's no way for a human body to burn without either an accelerant or being incinerated in/on something (maintains a high enough heat level to evaporate or otherwise overpower the moisture in the body).

He was likely dead before the fire started and something else caused the fire (like embers from the fire place setting the couch on fire).

There's no proof spontaneous human combustion is even possible considering how much information is to the contrary.


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## cadaveca (Sep 25, 2011)

That's kinda what I thought myself, but it is what it is, I guess.


Curious that they call it spontaneous combustion though...like what else are you to tihnk, but dude in some magical way burst into flames...


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## FordGT90Concept (Sep 25, 2011)

They have to call it something--they can't leave the "cause of death" line blank.  It would be interesting to see the coroner's and fire chief's reports to see what details lead to that conclusion but I doubt that information is publically available.


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## cadaveca (Sep 25, 2011)

The article does say that there was no trace of accelerant, and no indication of foul play...

Is it realyl possible for an accellerant to completley disappear? I mean, even alcohol that burns "clean" can be detected, no?

Or maybe clothing burst into flames? THAT is more than beleivable.

And that's kinda why I posted; I know nothing about this stuff, but htere must be at least some science to support things here?


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## AphexDreamer (Sep 25, 2011)

Humans are like mainly water. Water doesn't burn, that is the end of my investigation.


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## FordGT90Concept (Sep 25, 2011)

He was laying on something that was presuably flamable (like a couch).  It also said he was close to a lit fireplace.  It is possible an ember jumped to his couch after he already passed away and ingulfed him and the couch.

It happens rarely because people are usually...alive so if something catches on fire, they put it out.  It's very rare that people start a fire, lay down, die, and then by some freak chance, an ember lights something on fire.

...then again, the coroner report says they don't suspect foul play but, if the ignition source is (for lack of a better term) missing, someone else could have easily transferred the heat from the fire place, to the couch, and removed the item from the scene.  It could have been as simple as a newspaper.

In any event, he was likely already dead before the fire or else there would have been signs of panic/attempt to put it out.  What is said gives no indiciation of panic.  Whether he died of natural causes or not is difficult, if not impossible, on a badly burned body.


Nothing can burst into flames without a heat source.  In the case of the cloths on his back, it would need oxygen too.  It sounds to me like what he was laying on burned out from under him, taking him with it.


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## Mussels (Sep 25, 2011)

AphexDreamer said:


> Humans are like mainly water. Water doesn't burn, that is the end of my investigation.



ever thrown water on an oil fire? same thing with fat.


if your argument held true, how the shit does meat burn on a BBQ...


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## Inceptor (Oct 4, 2011)

Mussels said:


> if your argument held true, how the shit does meat burn on a BBQ...




I agree, as far as I can remember, at some point I heard an explanation for spontaneous combustion that had to do with burning fat.  It was a television show (I can't remember the name of atm), and to prove it, they simulated an event with a Pig carcass.  It's not really spontaneous, but fast enough.


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## Mussels (Oct 4, 2011)

Inceptor said:


> I agree, as far as I can remember, at some point I heard an explanation for spontaneous combustion that had to do with burning fat.  It was a television show (I can't remember the name of atm), and to prove it, they simulated an event with a Pig carcass.  It's not really spontaneous, but fast enough.



that was mythbusters i think. its not that its spontaneous, its just that fat burns. fat + clothing = wick on the outside.


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## Jacko28 (Oct 4, 2011)

I read an article not so long ago regarding people able to stick things to there bodies, i.e people who are so called "Magnetic", apprently if you have poor hygiene it can with objects being able to stick to your skin becuase of the layers dirt and oil released and gathered. 

Could it be something similiar to this? Perhaps an ember coming into contact with someone in the condition above could cause a reaction? With regards to the pig experiments, pigs have very oily and normally quite dirty. 

It's a shot in the dark and probably and utter stupid idea but i'm bored at work.


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## Jegergrim (Oct 4, 2011)

The human skin does produce it's own oils, but this is far from enough to cause spontaneous ignition, also if it were to happen it wouldn't last, as it has t oget through skin and tissue layers to reach the inner fat, which also isn't ideal for this sort of instantaneous combustion...


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## Captain.Abrecan (Oct 4, 2011)

Most cases involve three factors:
The person is a pickler
The person smoked
The person lived alone

I think it isn't a big stretch to think that some dude dropped a cigarette with a bottle of gin in his hand while blacked out.  I know quite a few people that I would consider perfectly flammable...

Also, I think spontaneous doesn't mean instant, it means something was not premeditated.  So the body doesn't have to explode with flames, and it might take hours for a body to burn, we really don't know.


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## Mussels (Oct 4, 2011)

Jacko28 said:


> I read an article not so long ago regarding people able to stick things to there bodies, i.e people who are so called "Magnetic", apprently if you have poor hygiene it can with objects being able to stick to your skin becuase of the layers dirt and oil released and gathered.
> 
> Could it be something similiar to this? Perhaps an ember coming into contact with someone in the condition above could cause a reaction? With regards to the pig experiments, pigs have very oily and normally quite dirty.
> 
> It's a shot in the dark and probably and utter stupid idea but i'm bored at work.



that article was on cracked.


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## qubit (Oct 4, 2011)

Nah, as others have said, there's nothing spontaneous about this combustion, or any other. There's a source of ignition that has been obscured, that is all and the fact that most of these incidents happen beside a fireplace explains the most probable cause by miles.

Leave rubbish theories like "Spontaneous combustion" to magazines like Fortean Times and other psuedo-science quack sources to peddle.

Good OP though!


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## de.das.dude (Oct 4, 2011)

i was doing some research on this thing after south parks ep where kenny dies because of spontaneous combustion. apparently the phenomenon hasnt been ruled out.
some people tried to conduct an experiment with a dead pig. didnt turn out.

there is a theory called the "wick" effect which happens to explain most things at the moment.

the most baffling thing about this is the high temps required to result in something that the victims were found as, and how those temps didnt effect anything else nearby.

i would post pictures, but i'd get banned


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## CyberDruid (Oct 4, 2011)

He must have been watching a Zip Zap Commercial.


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## DavyGT (Oct 4, 2011)

Reminds me of this:http://www.explosm.net/comics/2554/


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## Inceptor (Oct 4, 2011)

CyberDruid said:


> He must have been watching a Zip Zap Commercial



_Zik Zak_


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## de.das.dude (Oct 4, 2011)

Inceptor said:


> I agree, as far as I can remember, at some point I heard an explanation for spontaneous combustion that had to do with burning fat.  It was a television show (I can't remember the name of atm), and to prove it, they simulated an event with a Pig carcass.  It's not really spontaneous, but fast enough.



ala the wick effect. similar to a burning candle.


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## Kreij (Oct 5, 2011)

Human spontaneous combustion occurs relatively frequently.
We see this from the PMs we get when someone gets an infraction they feel is in error.


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## tilldeath (Oct 5, 2011)

Just throwing it out there but I say it's all done by aliens with a death ray.


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## wahdangun (Oct 7, 2011)

AphexDreamer said:


> Humans are like mainly water. Water doesn't burn, that is the end of my investigation.



yes water can burn if you gave it some salt and  a certain kind of radio wave.

linky


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## twilyth (Oct 7, 2011)

Thought it said "spontaneous combustion of human reality" and I was like 'Whoaaaaa . . . duuuuuude!!!'


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## de.das.dude (Oct 7, 2011)

tilldeath said:


> Just throwing it out there but I say it's all done by aliens with a death ray.





or maybe they are gamma bursts from other galaxies!


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