Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) is a controversial phenomenon where the human body catches fire without an external ignition source. Victims are incinerated completely, with localized fire damage and incoherent burns. The wick theory suggests that clothes impregnated with body fat act as a slow-burning wick, but critics argue it does not account for an ignition source. Some survivors have documented experiences of partial burning, which could be explained by static fire. No uncontested theory exists for SHC.
Spontaneous human combustion (SHC) refers to the proposed ability of the human body to catch fire without an external ignition source. It’s a controversial idea that has no known scientific basis, yet it seems to occur on rare occasions.
Death by presumed spontaneous human combustion has three main characteristics that differentiate it from other types of death by fire:
Victims of the proposed spontaneous human combustion are incinerated so completely that even the skeleton is reduced to ashes. This doesn’t even occur in a crematorium, where sustained temperatures of 1,300-1,800° Fahrenheit (700-1,000° Celsius) leave the bones to be pulverized in a separate process, then remixed with soft ashes. Even house fires don’t consume bones.
Fire damage from spontaneous human combustion is extremely localized. Delicate items close to the victim may remain unaffected. In one case, an incinerated body was found in the bed. Although the bed was destroyed, a handy bedside box of tissues remained untouched, along with the nightstand itself. In some cases nearby plastic objects melt, but the fire does not spread to engulf the room.
The burns to the body are deeply incoherent. While the body and skeleton are reduced to ash, the lower legs often remain, appearing as the victim might have casually put them down last, dressed and shod. In other cases a torso may be left, and in many cases the skull remains along with the lower legs.
Some believe that spontaneous human combustion is a natural occurrence that is not yet understood. The scientific community rejects this notion a priori, pointing to the water content of the body and no known physical trigger for combustion. Many theories have been advanced in attempts to explain the alleged spontaneous human combustion in other terms. The theory that has gained the most favor to date is the wick theory.
The wick theory states that if clothes start to burn slowly, the noxious fumes could render a person unconscious. From here, the low flame fire could spread over the body, melting the body fat, which would impregnate the clothes, turning them into a virtual wick. While the “wick” burned slowly, the body fat kept the fire going. Eventually, when the entire body was consumed, the fire would die down. Proponents of this theory point out that this could explain the containment of the fire. They also claim that it explains why the lower legs are often left, as they are low in fat.
In an attempt to test the hypothesis, the wick theorists used a pig carcass to simulate the theory, but were forced to call the fire department as the fire quickly spread throughout the model. In another, more successful process in which the bones were eventually consumed, the wick theorists claimed success. However, the pig’s carcass was doused in petrol before setting it on fire. There is no evidence of gasoline or other accelerants in cases of alleged spontaneous human combustion.
Critics of the wick theory find many faults with it, arguing that it does not account for an ignition source. Nor does it explain, in all cases, the profound inconsistencies in the way bodies burn. And in some cases the empirical evidence seems to rule out a wick-type event.
There are people who claim to have survived spontaneous human combustion, and many have documented their experiences. It is unclear whether these incidences of partial burning represent spontaneous human combustion or another theoretical event called static fire. Static fire is believed to be generated by high levels of static electricity in the body. Under certain conditions it is possible for static charge to create a spark which could ignite flammable clothing. There are several documented cases of witnessing spontaneous fires which could be explained by static fire. Some wick theorists claim that static fire could be the ignition source for a wick fire.
To date, there is no uncontested theory for the phenomenon known as spontaneous human combustion. Less popular explanations range from paranormal causes to alleged nuclear fusion triggered by a hypothetical subatomic particle.
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