‘Spontaneous combustion’ of pensioner who ignited in street
SPONTANEOUS human combustion is a phenomenon as rare as it is puzzling. But such is the bafflement surrounding the death of a pensioner who caught fire in the street, some are speculating that the scientific anomaly is to blame.
John Nolan, 70, died after being found ablaze near his home in north London in September. But yesterday, detectives said that, after weeks of investigation, they had found no obvious cause for the fire.
Spontaneous human combustion is a fiercely debated phenomenon, characterised by near-total destruction of the body with little surrounding damage. It has been blamed for fewer than 200 deaths in history.
Mr Nolan, described as a “gentle, nice man”, had no accelerants on his body, according to police, and fire service investigators found no source of ignition. Yet relatives later said he suffered burns to his internal organs.
Originally from County Mayo, the former construction worker was airlifted to Colchester hospital and died surrounded by family members after doctors withdrew life support.
Pc Damien Ait-amer, who is investigating the death, said: “Mr Nolan was a well-liked member of the community and none of our inquiries so far have indicated that he had been involved in a dispute of any sort, nor does any account given by witnesses suggest that he had been in contact with another person at the time of the fire.”
The Metropolitan Police are now appealing for witnesses.
Bernard Knight, who conducted more than 25,000 post-mortem examinations during 31 years as a Home Office pathologist, said the “wick effect” can explain the phenomenon whereby the clothing of a victim soaks up melted fat and accelerates a fire. But he said it was “ridiculous” to suggest a body could ignite without an external cause.
“For someone to walk out on to the streets and just burst into flames is extremely peculiar,” he said. “In the course of my career I saw maybe three or four cases of so-called spontaneous combustion, but they were all indoors near an open fireplace.
“This is very unusual because it took place outside, but a failure to find a cause does not mean there isn’t one.”
Prof Knight said alcohol was a common factor in deaths attributed to spontaneous human combustion.