The earliest cases go as far back as the early 16th century. Then there are the ones that are as recent as 1998 but have no better explanation of what happen then the ones in the 16th century did. There are truly only two types of cases: fatal and non-fatal.

The fatal cases of SHC represent three-quarters of all the reported incidents. The most common of these cases is the famous "bedroom burnings" in which a victim is found as a pile of ashes with only limbs remaining. These burnings a characterized by five main features:

1) The victim’s body and clothing is mostly reduced to ash.

2) Small portions of the body (an arm, a foot, maybe the head) remain unburned.

3) Only objects immediately associated with the body have burned; the fire never spread away from the body.

4) A greasy soot deposit covers the ceiling and walls, usually stopping three to four feet above the floor.

5) Objects above this three to four foot line show signs of heat damage (mel

The most accredited case was a fatal one in 1951. The victim’s name was Mary Reeser who was 67 at the time. She was found in her apartment on the morning of July 2, 1951, reduced to a pile of ashes, a skull, and a completely undamaged left foot. You can see a picture of fire officials sifting trough her remains on the following page. This incident has become the foundation for many books and believers in the paranormal side of SHC. Michael Harrison’s Fire From Heaven, printed in 1976, has become the standard reference book on spontaneous human combustion.

The second major type of SHC is the non-fatal cases. The victims usually don’t know anymore than the investigators do. The good thing about this is that the victims are alive to tell about what happened and cause most SHC skeptics to take a look at the picture again.

The physical possibility of SHC is little to none. The human body is mostly made up of water and the only thing that really burns readily is the human fat and methane. When a corpse is cremated it requires a considerable amount of heat and a long period of time. Sometimes the bones must actually be crushed. A chemical reaction in the human body would require much doing like eating hay infested with bacteria. Even so only the intestines would probably burn.

There are many other theories and reasons such as static electricity and chemical reactions in the digestive system. Some also believe that an electrical field in the human body short circuits and causes SHC. Maybe there isn’t a reason and it just happens. None of the theories I have given prove true to all cases. As humans we will always strive to understand the impossible and to prove it with a scientific and logical reason. Some

Some topics in this essay:
Combustion SHC, Coudersport Pennsylvania, Gearhart Gearhart, Criminalistic Institute, Mary Reeser, SHC Maybe, , Fire Heaven, human combustion, spontaneous human combustion, spontaneous human, human body, body fat, Dr John, burst flames, 16th century, geomagnetic energy, wick effect, pile ashes, bedroom burnings,