Galway case of "Spontaneouos combustion"

KittyeeTrix

Galway city pensioners death ruled as a case of "death by spontaneous combustion"
http://www.galwaynews.ie/21713-galway-pensioner-died-spontaneous-combustion

September 23, 2011 - 7:15am
Mystery death is blamed on 'inexplicable' phenomenon


by Dearbhla Geraghty
The inquiry into the death of a 76 years old man found badly burned in his home just before Christmas last year, concluded yesterday that he had died of the unusual phenomenon of spontaneous human combustion.
Photographs taken in the aftermath of the fire at the home of Michael Faherty of Clareview Park, Ballybane, show a packet of matches sitting on the mantelpiece, which had escaped damage – as had most of the sitting room, where he was found.
Garda Gerard O’Callaghan of the divisional crime scene investigation unit who visited the preserved scene told the Inquest: “The ‘seat’ of the fire was around the body of Mr Faherty, and confined to this area – the rest of the house was smoke damaged.
“I took samples of the fire debris and forwarded them to the forensic science laboratory at Garda headquarters in Dublin to establish the presence of accelerants (eg. petrol, diesel, paraffin oil) – there were none found – and I found no evidence to suggest any foul play had occurred.”
The Coroner for West Galway, Dr Ciaran MacLoughlin, noted from the photographs taken by the senior Garda that there were items such as matches, a mobile phone, and a razor very obviously untouched by fire. He asked Garda O’Callaghan if he had ever witnessed anything like this before, and the reply was a firm ‘no’.
Pathologist, Dr Grace Callagy stated that, due to burning, Mr Faherty’s stomach, intestines, liver, pancreas, kidneys, heart, and some of his bones – the fire would need to be between 700-1,000°C to cremate bones – were not present, and that toxicology examinations could not be carried out on his blood or urine for the same reason.

She said, however, that there was no evidence of oedema in the lung – which the coroner explained meant that he did not suffer a heart attack – and there was no evidence of a haemorrhage.
Significantly, Dr Callagy found no carbon material/soot in his trachea or a sample from his lung. “These suggest that he did not suffer from inhalation (smoke) injury and may not have been alive when the fire began,” she stated.
“The extensive nature of the burns sustained precludes determining the precise cause of death.”

Dr MacLoughlin told Mr Faherty’s family that he had given a lot of consideration to that very question. “I’d say that the death was thoroughly investigated by the most experienced fire experts in the country, and I’m of the view that it fits in with spontaneous combustion, for which there is no scientific explanation,” he said.
Dr MacLoughlin said afterwards that this was the first such case that he had come across in his 25 years as coroner for West Galway.
For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.

How unusual, I thought this kind of thing was only for Ripleys Believe it or not Books......

_Whimsical_

Oh my God.
Condolences to this mans family and friends.

This was a childhood fear of mine. I presumed it was a myth and a silly childhood flight of fancy. Time to "reignite" the terror.:(

biko

That is an odd case alright.
Must be terrible for the family not knowing how/what really happened.

Acoshla

I've always believed in this but normally the stories were in crappy tabloids or Ripleys as mentioned. I don't know why I believe it, but a few people I know who work in the area of fire investigation can't explain it, so that's enough for me!

xflyer

The most common theory on this subject is that the person collapses unconscious or dead close to a source of heat or perhaps holding a cigarette. Something begins to smoulder and this continues over a period of days. Like a big candle. Body fat is a good source of this. The fire is contained just like it would be with a candle.

It's not really spontaneous just a very slow burn. Nearly always happens to someone living alone. Not nice at all.

Lucifer31

Apparently, in cases of supposed SHC, when a cause of ignition cannot be found, the ciggarette is always a convenient scapegoat.
There was one case where Jeannie Saffin (1982), burned to death in front of her father. Again, no possible cause of her ignition could be found or even suggested, yet and all, her face and hands burned down to the subcutaneous fat. Neither her clothes nor hair burned to any real extent. Her dad, who was seated a few feet away, noticed nothing until he suddenly saw and heard the flames 'roaring' from both her hands and face.
Very strange phenomenon.

nuac

This may be the first time spontaneous combustion was in an inquest verdict, but I recall hearing of another incident many years ago. Trying to recall details.

scholar007

Sincerest sympathies to the family of this man (RIP).

Could spontaneous human combustion occur when certain conditions are met?

I mean when the body contains the right substances / gases etc. internally in the right conditions to ignite? Like could the body make these conditions happen by accident through normal reactions that occur within the body?

PopeBuckfastXVI

No...

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4258

The application of the wick effect to human corpses is not supposition, but proven fact. In 2001, the Journal of Forensic Sciences published an account of a test performed at the State of California's Bureau of Forensic Services in which a pig carcass was wrapped in a blanket and provided with a source of ignition. After a number of hours, the smoldering fire was extinguished and it was discovered that the part of the pig that had burned so far, bones and all, had been reduced to ash.

Very lazy, irresponsible conclusion by the Coroner in my opinion.

ScumLord

PopeBuckfastXVI wrote: »

No...

http://skeptoid.com/episodes/4258



Very lazy, irresponsible conclusion by the Coroner in my opinion.

Would you have preferred alien death ray?

Karona

scholar007 wrote: »

Sincerest sympathies to the family of this man (RIP).

Could spontaneous human combustion occur when certain conditions are met?

I mean when the body contains the right substances / gases etc. internally in the right conditions to ignite??

Better out than in I always say