You never hear much about 'spontaneous combustion ' anymore, where people just burst into flames while sitting in their chair

Maybe cause there"s less smokers and drinkers that was thought to be a factor. I remember seeing photos of scorched chairs which was all that remained from latest casualty who'd been reduced to ashes while watching tv

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ArishMell · 70-79, M

Therer never was any such thing as "spontaneous conbustion" of people - or any animal - but there were plenty of deaths as you describe, caused by smokers dropping lighted cigarettes.

Other cases were of people setting their clothes alight in cooking or fireplace accidents. There might have been still others in times gone by, caused by candles.

I very much doubt the body was reduced to ashes, either. A fire intense enough to completely consume a body would not leave the chair intact. Even a proper cremator does not reduce it to the grey dust we may know as the "ashes" we scatter.

Published photos would have been of the scene with the body removed.