Spontaneous Combustion - mystery solved

[PAH]

So Ireland have their first ever (recorded) case.

BBC News - First Irish case of death by spontaneous combustion

A man who burned to death in his home died as a result of spontaneous combustion, an Irish coroner has ruled.

It is believed to be the first case of its kind in Ireland.

An inquest in Galway on Thursday heard how investigators had been baffled as to the cause of death.

The court heard Mr Faherty had been found lying on his back with his head closest to an open fireplace.

The fire had been confined to the sitting room. The only damage was to the body, which was totally burnt, the ceiling above him and the floor underneath him.

"This fire was thoroughly investigated and I'm left with the conclusion that this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion, for which there is no adequate explanation," he said.

Well, allow me to solve the mystery once and for all.

The body was near a fire. Fire gives off heat. Heat warms up 'stuff' until it too catches fire. So things in close proximity to fire also catch fire without flame transferance ever being involved.

Another great mystery solved in my lunchbreak.

[SimonMac]

I bet he was drunk

[PAH]

Probably had brylcreem or hairspray on his head too, causing lower temperature threshold before ignition took place.

There's always a simple answer to these mysteries. Helps if one's out of one's box, easier to see things from there.

[xoggoth]

Glad you cracked it. I was wondering whether to cut down on my vodka.

[PAH]

The secret to avoiding SC is to make sure the armchair is pointed slightly away from the fire, so when you collapse in a drunken heap you are sufficiently far enough away that only a slight singeing is the worst that can happen. Until the missus finds you.

Works for me.

[cojak]

Also requires a (small) room/area with poor ventilation. The fire dies as it consumes the oxygen in the compartment.

This mystery was solved years ago*. There'll always be some form of heat source in the room.

(* I know because this was one of my morbid fears from when I was a kid, I was hugely relieved when it was explained).

[xoggoth]

Hmm. Your theory is flawed. If somebody dies in front of an open fire the body would never dry sufficiently to combust before the fire died down through lack of fuel.

PS Unless the drying was very local, could one bit catch fire and each part progressively supplies enough heat to dry the rest?

[PAH]

Where's the mythbusters episode where they use a dead pig (with all its liquids still in place) to prove this theory once and for all?