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Gibbon · 70-79, M
I read a lot about this around 1970. Then recently saw a show which covered those old cases as well as newer ones. In every instance they were able to piece together an actual cause even a reason for localized ashes. They didn't come up with a single case that implied spontaneous internal combustion like a pile of oily rags could create.
atlantic59 · 61-69, M
@Gibbon interesting..
Gibbon · 70-79, M
@atlantic59 One was the classic elderly lady burned in her chair. It was attributed to falling asleep with a cigarette and a combination of the materials her clothing and the chair were made of. Every part of her that wasn't covered remained intact. Her ankles and feet remained. The intense heat turned her hands and skull to ash. The interesting part of each was the difficulty in explaining why the intense heat didn't burn a wider area. That is a puzzle that remains as theoretical air insulating temperature possibilities.
atlantic59 · 61-69, M
@Gibbon yeah that was part of the phenomenon how it never spread to other flammable materials to burn the place down that I remember