Spontaneous Human Combustion: is the burning of a living person without an external source of ignition. There have only been about 200 cited cases ever, world-wide. There are several different theories attempting to explain this weird phenomenon. Some of the theories revolve around paranormal explanations (divine intervention, ghosts etc..). Some other more natural explanations are of either a certain unknown body chemistry going on (raised level of blood alcohol, production of concentrated gas, not drinking enough water, smoking…) or of a natural disaster incident (for example the victim being drunk and dropping a cigarette). Even further natural explanations suggest high energy particles or gamma-rays as the cause of SHC.
After extensive research on the subject the most widely accepted explanation is the “Wick Effect”.
This is a cyclic process in which the victim burns through his/her own fats, until complete combustion. A person wearing clothes acts like an inside out candle, with the wick being the clothing, and the fuel being the fat(flesh) inside the clothing. Hence there is a continuous supply of fuel as the fat seeps through the clothing creating a cyclic process. For this process to initiate there obviously has to be an initial ignition though, in most cases there has been such a source present somewhere in the room.
So basically: After a tiny ignition, the human body contains enough fuel in the form of fat (hydrocarbons) to completely burn itself to ashes.
It takes a very hot flame to reduce a human body to ash. Crematoriums have special chambers designed for it. However, in almost all combustions, there’s no burns in the room around the body, indicating that the person simply stayed in one place. Whatever the cause of this combustion, it seems to knock people out first.
*The reason the object (the couch the person is sitting on) goes pretty much undamaged while the person is incinerated is because fire burns upwards. These materials also help retain the melted fat even further aiding the cyclic burning process.
Which ever theory you like to believe, this phenomenon is surely quite spectacular,
Mete.
Further Links on the “Wick Effect” and SHC:
http://io9.com/5855700/10-cases-of-spontaneous-human-combustion
http://www.dbskeptic.com/2009/02/28/spontaneous-human-combustion-and-the-wick-
effect/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_human_combustion
HaplofromNexus 