What is your theory on Spontaneous Combustion?

Question

It has puzzled me for a while. How can someone simply be consumed by flames with no apparent source that would cause a fire? I'd like to hear what you think causes this phenomenon.

Answer 1

The wick theory charges that if clothing were to begin a slow burn, noxious fumes could render a person unconscious. From here, the low-flaming fire could spread over the body, melting body fat, which would soak the clothes, turning them into a virtual wick. While the "wick" slowly burned, the body fat would keep the fire alive. Eventually, when the entire body was consumed, the fire would go out. Proponents of this theory point out that this could account for the fire's containment. They also claim it explains why the lower legs are often left, as they have little fat content.
Today, there are several theories. One of the most popular proposes that the fire is sparked when methane (a flammable gas produced when plants decompose) builds up in the intestines and is ignited by enzymes (proteins in the body that act as catalysts to induce and speed up chemical reactions). Yet most victims of spontaneous human combustion suffer greater damage to the outside of their body than to their internal organs, which seems to go against this theory.

Other theories speculate that the fire begins as a result of a buildup of static electricity inside the body or from an external geomagnetic force exerted on the body. A self-proclaimed expert on spontaneous human combustion, Larry Arnold, has suggested that the phenomenon is the work of a new subatomic particle called a pyroton, which he says interacts with cells to create a mini-explosion. But no scientific evidence proves the existence of this particle.

Answer 2

First off, you have to realize that spontaneous combustion has never occurred. To read more about this in history, read Charles Dickens's introduction to "Bleak House," in which he justifies his having one of the characters undergo spontaneous combustion.

Answer 3

Some chemicals (particularly oily varnishes) can spontaneously combust. For more details, go to:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spontaneous_combustion

Answer 4

They try to think too hard, overheat & all that gas built up inside them just goes POOF!

Save a bean, eat a cow!