{"id":1716,"date":"2021-10-02T00:23:19","date_gmt":"2021-10-02T00:23:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.walkingtheshadowlands.com\/?p=1716"},"modified":"2024-11-16T14:57:26","modified_gmt":"2024-11-16T01:57:26","slug":"episode-46-spontaneous-human-combustion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.walkingtheshadowlands.com\/?p=1716","title":{"rendered":"Episode 46: Spontaneous Human Combustion"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Episode 46: Spontaneous Human Combustion<\/strong><\/p><\/h3><\/div>

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Death. A word that conjures up an image of finality of this human body. Death comes to us all at some stage, it\u2019s an inevitable, inescapable, unavoidable, part of living. Most of us accept that fact, but we don\u2019t tend to think about it, or about our own eventual deaths, until it is brought to our attention with the death of a loved one, acquaintance, or even celebrity \u2013 where it is generally plastered over all the media outlets, so it\u2019s really in your face, so to speak. Then we might think about it for a little while, put it to the back of our minds and go on with our day to day living. Or, we might consider how we, ourselves might leave this physical reality when our time here is over.<\/p>\n

Personally, I have no fear of death whatsoever, to me, it\u2019s merely walking through a door into another room and life continues on \u2013 albeit in a different form. However, the manner of my death is another thing entirely. Of course, like some of you I would much prefer to go peacefully in my sleep, then in any other way. For some people though, their manner of passing from this realm, is very, very peculiar, unusual and frankly, pretty scary, albeit absolutely unexplained\u2026<\/p>\n

Can you imagine someone just sitting, enjoying a cup of tea, or watching TV when suddenly, with no apparent reason, their body is engulfed in flames? Flames that start from no external source, but from within their own bodies? How frightening would that be? This is called Spontaneous Human Combustion and is the subject of our episode today. Fair warning, I will be sharing cases where this has happened and in some cases what was left behind. Also, giving a little back history on this subject.\u00a0 So, some of this episode may be quite gruesome to listen to. \u00a0If this is going to be upsetting, or distressing to you, then it might pay to give this episode a miss. Having said that, are you willing and ready to walk with me into this part of the shadowlands and see what awaits us there? Then, let\u2019s begin.<\/p>\n

Spontaneous Human Combustion<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Spontaneous Human Combustion, is a subject that has frankly both fascinated and if I am honest, scared me a wee bit since I first read about it in my early teens. This is an episode that I have been wanting to do for some time. When I first thought about starting the creation of this podcast I made a list of topics I wanted to cover at one time or another. This was number three on my list of about twenty or so subjects I thought about for episodes to use.<\/p>\n

What is Spontaneous Human Combustion?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

\u00a0<\/strong>What is Spontaneous Human Combustion? Well, why don\u2019t we start with some definitions of what precisely spontaneous combustion is. The Cambridge English Dictionary gives this definition, spontaneous combustion.<\/a>,<\/p>\n

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\u201ca situation<\/a> in which something suddenly<\/a> starts<\/a> to burn<\/a> without any obvious<\/a> cause<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary gives this definition of spontaneous combustion<\/a>,<\/p>\n

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\u201cself-ignition of combustible material through chemical action (such as oxidation) of its constituents\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

So basically Spontaneous Human Combustion then, is when the human body self-ignites. But, can humans spontaneously burst into flames? Can they? In a typical case of Spontaneous Human Combustion, the victim is almost entirely consumed by the fire, generally this is in their own home. Often however parts of the body such as hands and feet remain intact. The room in which the victim dies usually shows few, if any, signs of a fire. Even if they were sitting on a chair, the person may be fully consumed by the fire, but the chair may only show signs of scorching, or only be partly consumed by the fire. How is that even possible? In some cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion occurring, along with the ash remains of the body, there is also an oily residue found at the site, often on the walls or the ceiling. Sometimes also, a sweet, smoky smell is noticed, in the room where the incident occurred<\/p>\n

Usually in these cases, there\u2019s no evidence to be found of any sort of accelerant that could have caused the fire, or of any heat source that could have caused the body to burn. So then what could have possibly caused this to happen? How could a human being spontaneously burst into flames and then burn almost completely, or totally, while leaving their surroundings mostly unaffected? How could that happen? And, importantly, is there anyway of preventing this from occurring?<\/p>\n

Many people think Spontaneous Human Combustion is a real occurrence, however, most scientists aren’t convinced. Most of them, dismiss the idea that humans can catch fire for no reason. They say that many cases involved victims who were alone and close to a flame, such as a cigarette or candle. Or that often, the victims have been elderly or intoxicated, and thus unable to put out the flames. Certainly, these could be valid observations in some, but not in all cases of Spontaneous Human Combustion. From here on, some of this information might be a bit gruesome for some to hear, so please be aware and continue listening with my caution.<\/p>\n

How could this happen?<\/strong><\/h4>\n

So how precisely could this happen? How could a human body suddenly burst into flames? \u00a0There is no doubt that bodies can burn; crematoriums routinely reduce bodies to ashes within a few hours. The mystery of Spontaneous Human Combustion lies in the circumstances under which victims burst into flames. Generally, there is no obvious source of ignition, no open fires nearby that might set the person aflame. Furthermore, the victims are generally killed, and not only partly burned on one arm or a leg. Spontaneous Human Combustion is usually fatal. However, there are the odd exception to this, which I will discuss later. Some claim that burning often seems to begin in the chest or stomach area, leaving the grisly remains of legs and hands intact.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s scientifically known, that in order for anything at all to be able to combust, there are three things that are required. One: a source of fuel. Two: an oxidizing agent \u2013 which is generally the oxygen in the air. Three: very high heat. Our physical bodies are largely composed of water, in fact sixty to seventy percent water. And as we all know water by itself won\u2019t burn. So how is this scientifically possible? There are many theories or hypotheses as to how this might occur. Some of the possible explanations that have been put forward are:<\/p>\n