Spontaneous Human Combustion

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Not to be confused with spontaneous combustion.

Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) describes reported cases of the burning of a living (or very recently deceased) human body without an apparent external source of ignition. As of 1995, there have been about 200 cited cases^[1] worldwide over a period of around 300 years.
There are many hypotheses that attempt to explain human spontaneous combustion. These include several natural explanations as well as supernatural and biblical explanations.
Natural explanations include those:

• Based on unknown or otherwise unobserved phenomena (e.g., that the production of abnormally concentrated gas or raised levels of blood alcohol might cause spontaneous ignition)^{[citation needed]}
• Relating to health and lifestyle factors (e.g. smoking, not consuming adequate levels of water, etc.)^{[citation needed]}
• That involve an external source of ignition (e.g., the victim was drunk and dropped a cigarette)^{[citation needed]}

Objections to natural explanations typically refer to the degree of burning of the body with respect to its surroundings. Indeed, one of the common markers of a case of SHC is that the body – or part of it – suffered an extraordinarily large degree of burning while the surroundings or the lower limbs remained comparatively undamaged.^[1]
Supernatural^{[citation needed]} and biblical explanations of spontaneous human combustion remain popular. In the latter case, some people interpret Bible passages (such as Num 11:1^[2]) to be indicative of spontaneous human combustion.

Contents 1 Characteristics 2 Forensic investigation 3 Suggested explanations 3.1 Natural explanations 3.2 Unverified natural phenomena 4 See also 5 References 6 External links

Characteristics [edit]

The spontaneous combustion of people (i.e. death from a fire originating within the victim’s body without a direct external cause) is a theoretical explanation for a number of unexplained cases, some of which are well-documented but many of which are not. The more intriguing cases share the following characteristics:

• The body is completely or almost completely incinerated, while nearby furniture exposed to high temperatures remains intact. Damage is limited to the victim’s body and clothing, to the area of the floor or furniture on which he or she died and to the ceiling above the corpse.
• The torso is the focus of the fire and if remains are found these are of the extremities, such as the feet.
• There are no traces of fire accelerant and the fire does not have an evident external cause.
• Often the combustion seems to happen simultaneously at many parts of the body, usually without any obvious points of origin.
• The victim is typically alone at the time of death and is thought to have been alive when the fire started, despite showing little sign of having struggled.^[3]

Forensic investigation [edit]

An extensive two-year research project—involving thirty historical cases of alleged SHC—was conducted in 1984 by science investigator Joe Nickell and forensic analyst John F. Fischer. Their lengthy, two-part report was published in the journal of the International Association of Arson Investigators,^[4][5] as well as part of a book.^[6] Nickell has written frequently on the subject,^[4][5][6] appeared on television documentaries, conducted additional research, and lectured at the New York State Academy of Fire Science at Montour Falls, NY, as a guest instructor.
Nickell and Fischer’s investigation—which looked at cases in the eighteenth, nineteenth, and twentieth centuries—showed that, again and again, the burned bodies were near plausible sources for the ignition: candles, lamps, fireplaces, and so on. Sometimes these sources were left out of popular accounts of the alleged phenomenon while they were hyped as mysterious. The investigations also found that there was a correlation between alleged SHC deaths and victims’ drunkenness or other incapacitation that could have caused them to be careless with fire and less able to respond properly to an accident. Where the destruction of the body was not extensive, the significant fuel source was the victim’s clothing.
However, where the destruction was extensive, additional fuel sources were involved, such as chair stuffing, floor coverings, the flooring itself, and the like. The investigators described how such materials helped retain melted fat to burn and destroy more of the body, yielding still more liquified fat, in a cyclic process known as the “wick effect” (or “candle effect”).
That nearby objects often went undamaged was not a scientific mystery but a matter of physics. Fire tends to burn upward, and it burns laterally with some difficulty. The fires in question are relatively small, achieving considerable destruction by the wick effect, and relatively nearby objects may not be close enough to catch fire themselves (much as one can get rather close to a modest campfire without burning). As with other mysteries, Nickell and Fischer cautioned against a one-explanation-fits-all approach but rather urged investigating on a case-by-case basis.^{[citation needed]}

Suggested explanations [edit]

Many hypotheses attempt to explain how SHC might occur but according to those that rely on scientific understanding, incidents that might appear as spontaneous combustion actually had an external source of ignition – and the likelihood of true spontaneous human combustion is quite low.^[7] Benjamin Radford, science writer and deputy editor of the science magazine Skeptical Inquirer, casts doubt on the plausibility of spontaneous human combustion, “If SHC is a real phenomenon (and not the result of an elderly or infirm person being too close to a flame source), why doesn’t it happen more often? There are 6 billion people in the world, and yet we don’t see reports of people bursting into flame while walking down the street, attending football games, or sipping a coffee at a local Starbucks.”^[8] Paranormal researcher Brian Dunning states that SHC stories “are simply the rare cases where a natural death in isolation has been followed by a slow combustion from some nearby source of ignition.” Other stories of people suddenly aflame should be called “Unsolved deaths by fire”; just because the cause was not discovered does not mean SHC occurs.^[9]

Natural explanations [edit]

• Almost all cases of SHC involve persons with low mobility, due to advanced age or obesity, along with poor health.^[10] Victims show a high likelihood of having died in their sleep, or of being unable to move once they had caught fire.
• Cigarettes are often seen as the source of fire, as the improper disposal of smoking materials causes one of every four fire deaths in the USA.^[11] Natural causes such as heart attacks may lead to the victim dying, subsequently dropping the cigarette, which after a period of smouldering can ignite the victim’s clothes.^[12]
• The “wick effect” hypothesis suggests that a small external flame source, such as a burning cigarette, chars the clothing of the victim at a location, splitting the skin and releasing subcutaneous fat, which is in turn absorbed into the burned clothing, acting as a wick. This combustion can continue for as long as the fuel is available. This hypothesis has been successfully tested with animal tissue (pig) and is consistent with evidence recovered from cases of human combustion.^[13][14] The human body typically has enough stored energy in fat and other chemical stores to fully combust the body; even lean people have several pounds of fat in their tissues. This fat, once heated by the burning clothing, wicks into the clothing much as candle wax (which typically was originally made of animal fat) wicks into a lit candle wick to provide the fuel needed to keep the wick burning.^[15]
• Scalding can cause burn-like injuries, including death, without setting fire to clothing. Although not applicable in cases where the body is charred and burnt, this has been suggested as a cause in at least one claimed SHC-like event.^[16]
• Brian J. Ford has convincingly shown that ketosis, possibly caused by alcoholism or low-carb dieting, produces acetone, which is highly flammable and could therefore lead to apparently spontaneous combustion.^[17][18]

Unverified natural phenomena [edit]

• Another hypothesis suggests high-energy particles or gamma rays^[1] coupled with susceptibilities in the potential victim (e.g., increased alcohol in the blood) trigger the initial reaction. This process may use no external oxygen to spread throughout the body, since it may not be an “oxidation-reduction” reaction. However, no reaction mechanism has been proposed.

• Ball lightning, a mysterious and debated phenomenon itself, has been suggested as a possible cause of spontaneous combustion.^{[citation needed]}

See also [edit]

• Exploding animal
• List of magazines of anomalous phenomena
• Self-immolation

References [edit]

1. ^ ^{a b c} “Ablaze!: The Mysterious Fires of Spontaneous Human Combustion” Arnold, Larry E. 1995 ISBN 0-87131-789-3
2. ^ Num 11:1: "And when the people complained, it displeased the LORD: and the LORD heard it and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the LORD burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts of the camp" - from "Spontaneous Human Combustion". BBC. THURSDAY, 28th March 2013. 
3. ^ "‘First Irish case’ of death by spontaneous combustion". BBC News. 23 September 2011. 
4. ^ ^{a b} Nickell, Joe; Fischer, John F. (March 1984). "Spontaneous Human Combustion". The Fire and Arson Investigator 34 (3): 4–11. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Nickell, Joe; Fischer, John F. (June 1984). "Spontaneous Human Combustion". The Fire and Arson Investigator 34 (4): 3–8. 
6. ^ ^{a b} Nickell, Joe (1991). Secrets of The Supernatural. Amherst, NY: Prometheus Books. pp. 149–157, 161–171. 
7. ^ "Skeptic’s Dictionary on spontaneous human combustion, Retrieved Oct 20, 2007 "The physical possibilities of spontaneous human combustion are remote."". Skepdic.com. 24 September 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
8. ^ "Irishman died of spontaneous human combustion, coroner claims". MSNBC. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 8 October 2011. 
9. ^ Brian Dunning (17 May 2011). "Spontaneous Human Combustion: People can catch on fire... but can it really happen when there is no external source of ignition?". Skeptoid: Critical Analysis of Pop Phenomena. Retrieved 7 November 2011. 
10. ^ "Spontaneous Human Combustion". Skeptoid.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
11. ^ "Cigarettes’ Role in Fires Growing". Consumeraffairs.com. Retrieved 24 May 2012. 
12. ^ Joe Nickell (March–April 1998). "Fiery tales that spontaneously destruct – reports on spontaneous human combustion – includes an investigative chronology based on a published photograph". Skeptical Inquirer 22.2. 
13. ^ Palmiere C, Staub C, La Harpe R, Mangin P (2009). "Ignition of a human body by a modest external source: a case report". Forensic Sci Int 188 (1–3): e17–9. doi:10.1016/j.forsciint.2009.03.027. PMID 19410396. 
14. ^ Campbell, S. J.; S. Nurbakhsh (1999). "Combustion of animal fat and its implications for the consumption of human bodies in fires". Science & Justice 39 (1): 27–38. 
15. ^ Watson, Stephanie. "How Spontaneous Human Combustion Works". HowStuffWorks. HowStuffWorks Inc. Retrieved 24 September 2011. 
16. ^ Joe Nickell (Nov–December 1996). "Not-so-spontaneous human combustion". Skeptical Inquirer. Retrieved 16 August 2010. 
17. ^ Ford, Brian J. (2012). "Solving the Mystery of Spontaneous Human Combustion". The Microscope (60): 63–72. Retrieved 23 August 2012. 
18. ^ Ford, Brian J. (18 August 2012). "The big burn theory". NewScientist: 30–31. Retrieved 23 August 2012. 

External links [edit]

• A BBC article describing the experiment
• “HowStuffWorks ‘How Spontaneous Human Combustion Works’”
• A possible SHC case from Izmir - Turkey, dated 19 May 2013

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The following is from the Rational Wiki..

The Twilight Zone

Chris Carter Curse David Fontana Demonic possession Eusapia Palladino Eva Carriere Ghost box Incubus and succubus myths John A. Keel Lucy Cavendish Malleus Maleficarum Poltergeist William Fix v - t - e

Spontaneous human combustion (or SHC for short) is a phenomenon in which the human body will burst into an all consuming flame without any apparent source of ignition. The popular perception of the phenomenon is of someone bursting into flames, almost randomly, and being consumed within seconds or minutes. The reality is less dramatic, although the results are the same.

Contents  [hide]  1 Origin 2 Reported cases 3 Possible causes 4 External links 5 Footnotes

[edit] Origin

The first recorded case occurred in 1663 when a Danish anatomist reported that a French woman had been consumed by flames while she slept, leaving her straw bed untouched. Hundreds of reported cases follow a similar pattern; the victims are almost always alone and coroners have always noted a sickly sweet smell in the room where the incident occurred. Interestingly, while the torso and head are usually burnt to ashes, the extremities and surrounding objects such as newspapers and clothing are typically untouched. These unusual circumstances have led to spontaneous human combustion receiving a lot of attention from those interested in the paranormal.

[edit] Reported cases

Dr. Bentley's leg and slipper, possibly the most famous and iconic image of SHC. Yet, the fact that the slipper and lower leg survived the apparent inferno gives clues to a more naturalistic origin or the phenomenon.

In contrast to a lot of pseudoscience, spontaneous human combustion is a very real phenomenon. People have really been found burned to ashes in very odd circumstances. These events are rare, and the circumstances around them seem to be very out of the normal; however, they do not "defy explanation" as many proponents of mystery and woo would suggest.

• In 1951, a 67-year-old widow was at home in St. Petersburg, Florida. On the morning of July 2, a neighbor discovered that the widow’s front door was hot. When she broke into the apartment with the help of two workmen, they found the victim in an easy chair with a charred circle around her. Her head had been burned down to the size of a teacup. The only other parts of her that remained were part of her backbone and part of her left foot. Other than Mary's charred remains, there was very little evidence of fire in her apartment. The police report cited an explanation for the cause of death: a dropped cigarette, which ignited Mrs. Reeser's highly flammable rayon-acetate nightgown.
• On December 5, 1966, the burnt remains of Dr. J. Irving Bentley, 92, were discovered by a meter reader. Dr. Bentley's body apparently ignited while he was in the bathroom and burned a 2-1/2-by-3-foot hole through the flooring, with only a portion of one leg remaining intact.
• On January 6, 1980, a man's body was discovered in a living room in Wales. The corpse was almost totally destroyed by a fire that had barely damaged the armchair in which he sat; nearby plastic objects were completely undamaged. The fire that had killed the man had been of a sufficient intensity to leave a greasy coating of vaporized flesh on the ceiling.
• In 2011 an Irish coroner ruled that 76-year old Michael Faherty died at his home in Ballybane, Galway on 22 December 2010 as a result of spontaneous combustion. The man had been found in the sitting room lying on his back with his head closest to an open fireplace. The fire had been confined to the sitting room and the only damage was to the body, which was totally burnt, the ceiling above him and the floor underneath. Forensic investigators found no traces of an accelerant or indications of foul play.^[1]

[edit] Possible causes

Even in strong fires there are often bodily remains to be found and crematoriums still need to pulverize remaining bones, despite prolonged burning at high temperature. The idea that all remains could crumble into dust makes SHC look like an extremely spectacular event. With spontaneous combustion, most of the body is entirely destroyed and the fire is very much localised, so there is clearly something different going on.
Various theories have been proposed to explain spontaneous human combustion including having excessive amounts of alcohol in the system, static electricity and even a new type of particle that causes the cells to explode. These don't really go anywhere, though. In the case of excessive alcohol, blood certainly doesn't become flammable even if a person is nicely pickled from a full quart of vodka. The toxic properties of ethanol cause death at about 0.5% concentration - and given that you need well over 50% concentration to set fire to a water/ethanol mixture this can't be the cause. Static electricity too is fairly benign. While static discharges can be the trigger for fuel explosions they can't set light to the human body, otherwise stepping out of a car wearing the wrong pair of shoes would be far more dangerous. And, well, exotic particles is just silly.
Paranormal investigators would prefer that the explanations remained mysterious (hence the "spontaneous" part), as nothing is better than a good mystery you can put your own spin on—whether it be aliens, ghosts, or magic. This is why bizarre theories like exotic particles and static electricity are proposed. These are so outlandish and so improbable as natural causes that they might trick people into believing that supernatural causes are viable. However, in the end the most likely natural explanation is far more mundane than paranormal investigators lead you to believe, and this is backed up with experiments (with pig corpses) but first we need to consider empirical evidence about known cases of SHC.
So consider the facts that are known about SHC. The fire is intense enough to burn bone and completely destroy all flesh. This is something not observed in normal house fires because they're usually very rapid, and so we can conclude that, despite the "spontaneous" label giving hints of something rapid, it must be a slow process. Then we can observe what does remain. In the case of Dr Bentley, his foot and bare leg survived. The fire also seems localised, with only the body burning so despite the intensity and longevity of the fire it must be somehow confined to the body alone.^[2] So considering that the fire is intense, long and is localised to the body but not unclothed areas, we can piece together clues to explain SHC. The most likely explanation is that the victim's clothing acts a wick and body fat as a source of fuel. This is very much like how a candle works, although in reverse; indeed wrapping wick-like material on the outside of a candle still leads to the same effect. The burning clothes are maintained by liquid fat causing a controlled, slow and very intense burn—intense enough and prolonged enough to cause the damage seen but without spreading the fire. This contrasts with the paranormal explanations and descriptions that view the combustion as rapid and dramatic, with almost no explanation. The explanation would also account for the sweet smell noted by those who find the body, as sugars and fats within the body have slowly been vaporized over the course of the event.
Furthermore, this theory has been tested with defunct animals (pigs and humans) wrapped in cloth, with results that match observed effects of SHC.
But what of the various stories that cite people bursting into flame? Stories still persist of it happening suddenly, as if a human body did just catch alight for no reason before vaporizing in seconds. Well, pics or it didn't happen.

[edit] External links

• spontaneous human combustion, entry in The Skeptic's Dictionary
• Not-So-Spontaneous Human Combustion, Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer, Volume 20.6, November/December 1996
• Fiery Tales That Spontaneously Destruct, Joe Nickell, Skeptical Inquirer Volume 22.2, March/April 1998

[edit] Footnotes

1. ↑ Irish Times: Court finds pensioner's death in fire caused by spontaneous combustion (23-Sep-2011)
2. ↑ Of course, who knows how many cases of "SHC" actually lead to a house fire, making the cause look fairly normal after the event?

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