Myth or reality? Attempting to explain the phenomenon

Why do humans ‘spontaneously combust’? Various natural explanations have been discussed, such as obesity and excessive drinking. It is considered by some to be a paranormal phenomenon.

No proof for any of these explanations has been found. What do we know?

A significant proportion of documented cases have been found in or near the fireplace, though that has not been found to be the cause.

Experiments have looked at a so-called “wick effect”, where a human being could burn like a candle, with their fat acting as fuel and their clothing acting as a wick.

On BBC One’s

QED in 1998, fire experts conducted an experiment by wrapping a dead pig in cloth and setting it alight with petrol.

The animal showed the sort of damage expected from spontaneous human combustion.