For as yet scientifically unknown reasons, times occur when an unsuspecting person can just burst into flames and be incinerated. This is referred to in the scientific world as Spontaneous Human Combustion or SHC. There are many documented cases throughout history. The earliest cases go as far back as the early 16 th century. Then there are the ones that are as recent as 1998 but have no better explanation of what happen then the ones in the 16 th century did.
There are truly only two types of cases: fatal and non-fatal. The fatal cases of SHC represent three-quarters of all the reported incidents. The most common of these cases is the famous ‘bedroom burnings’ in which a victim is found as a pile of ashes with only limbs remaining. These burnings a characterized by five main features: 1) The victim’s body and clothing is mostly reduced to ash. 2) Small portions of the body (an arm, a foot, maybe the head) remain unburned. 3) Only objects immediately associated with the body have burned; the fire never spread away from the body.
4) A greasy soot deposit covers the ceiling and walls, usually stopping three to four feet above the floor. 5) Objects above this three to four foot line show signs of heat damage (melted candles, cracked mirrors, etc. ); objects below this line show o damage. These cases are the ones that mass media tend to cover most and is what most people think of when they hear about spontaneous human combustion. Nearly half of the cases are ‘bedroom burnings’ Another common case under the fatal category are the witnessed combustion, in which people are actually seen by witnesses to burst into flames.
Most of the time witnesses claim that there was no other source of ignition and / or the flames were seen to come directly from the victim’s skin. These cases present the fact that maybe SHC has more to do with the supernatural than science. Unfortunately, most of theses cases are poorly documented and usually unconfirmed. The second major type of SHC is the non-fatal cases. The victims usually don’t know anymore than the investigators do. The good thing about this is that the victims are alive to tell about what happened and cause most SHC skeptics to take a look at the picture again.
Non-fatal cases usually incorporate one or more of the following features. The most common is the mysterious flames. This is where a victim will just begin to emit flames form their body. Some victims claim they feel heat while others don’t. The second feature is the mysterious smoke in which a victim will begin to give off smoke form their bodies. With these cases there is no source of flame or source of smoke other than the victim’s body.
The third and final trait is the puzzling burns. In these cases victims develop burns on their skin for no apparent reason. These strange occurrences usually start as a small discomfort and slowly evolve into larger painful wounds. The most accredited case was a fatal one in 1951. The victim’s name was Mary Reese r who was 67 at the time. She was found in her apartment on the morning of July 2, 1951, reduced to a pile of ashes, a skull, and a completely undamaged left foot.
You can see a picture of fire officials sifting trough her remains on the following page. This incident has become the foundation for many books and believers in the paranormal side of SHC. Michael Harrison’s Fire From Heaven, printed in 1976, has become the standard reference book on spontaneous human combustion. Another very recognized case is the one of Dr.
J Irving Bentley, 92, of Coudersport, Pennsylvania. He was found as ashes, on December 5, 1966. His body apparently ignited while he was in the bathroom and burned a 2. 5 foot by 3 foot hole through the flooring, with only a portion of one leg remaining.
There’s a picture of the incident on page four. The physical possibility of SHC is little to none. The human body is mostly made up of water and the only thing that really burns readily is the human fat and methane. When a corpse is cremated it requires a considerable amount of heat and a long period of time. Sometimes the bones must actually be crushed.
A chemical reaction in the human body would require much doing like eating hay infested with bacteria. Even so only the intestines would probably burn. Many people have theories and explanations for the phenomena. The theory most recognized by the science world is known as the ‘wick effect.’ It gives the most probable, scientific, and sound reason for SHC.
In this theory, it is said that the body is devoured by its own body fat which is ignited by an outside source. This theory claims that a human body wrapped in clothes is like a candle inside out. The clothes act as the wick while the body fat is like the fuel. In 1998 a Dr.
John de Haan of the California Criminalistic Institute set out to prove the ‘wick effect’ theory. He wrapped a dead pig in a blanket, doused it with one liter of gasoline and ignited it. He used a pig because its body fat is much like that of a human being. Even the bones of the pig were destroyed after five hours of continuous burning. The result was very similar to that of a SHC victim.
Another very interesting theory is that geomagnetic activity is responsible for SHC. This assumption is from the mind of Livingston Gearhart. Mr. Gearhart has plotted geomagnetic energy against verified SHC deaths. Very high levels of geomagnetic energy were present in the days before every case of spontaneous human combustion investigated. Other theories include spirits, poltergeists, or demons.
The believers of these theories have no doubt that the reason a person bursts into flames is an act of God. They believe the person is being punished for something wrongfully done. Another common theory is that the reason people suddenly burst into flames is that they are alcoholics. Although many of the victims were alcoholics experiments proved that flesh impregnated with alcohol can not burn at such a high temperature to cause SHC. There are many other theories and reasons such as static electricity and chemical reactions in the digestive system.
Some also believe that an electrical field in the human body short circuits and causes SHC. Maybe there isn’t a reason and it just happens. None of the theories I have given prove true to all cases. As humans we will always strive to understand the impossible and to prove it with a scientific and logical reason. Sometimes though, maybe we should just accept it as it is.