A Witness to Spontaneous Human Combustion & Other Stories of SHC

The body of Alexander Morrison covered in slates from the roof which fell on top of his remains after the fire.

The body of Ginette Kazmierczak

Jeannie Saffin 
The only known case of Spontaneous Human Combustion which was witnessed was that of Jeannie Saffin of London, England on September 15, 1982. Jeannie Saffin was 61 years of age but had the mental capabilities of a six year old and lived with her 82-year-old father, Jack Saffin. While in the kitchen, Jack noticed a bright flash out of the corner of his eye. Turning to Jeannie to ask if she had seen it as well as, Jack Saffin noticed his daughter was on fire, sitting perfectly still with her hands in her lap. Don Carroll, Jack’s son-in-law entered the house just in time to see Jeannie in flames. Jack and Don rushed her to the sink in an attempt to stop the fire from consuming her but it was too late. Jeannie went into a coma and died eight days later. The flesh on her face, hands and abdomen had entirely burnt away to the subcutaneous fat. Don Carrol claims he saw flames coming from Jeannie’s mouth and said she was “roaring like a dragon” although no burns were found in Jeannie’s mouth. While perhaps Mr. Carroll was exaggerating just a bit, many instances of supposed spontaneous combustion witnessed in the 1400s-1600s claim similar phenomenon. One example is the case of Polonus Vortius, a knight in Milan, France who died sometime between 1468-1503 during the reign of Queen Bona Sforza. The parents of Polonus Vortius claimed he drank “two ladles of strong wine” then vomited fire and was consumed by the flames. At the time of Jeannie Saffin’s death the only source of ignition was the pilot light in the gas stove. On the day of the incident, she was wearing nylon which investigators blame for her death. Jack Saffin had earlier emptied the ashes from his pipe before reloading it with fresh tobacco. Investigators theorized an ember fell on Jeannie, remained there for quite some time as Jack reloaded his pipe, only later to set Jeannie’s clothes on fire when Don Carroll entered the house and a gust of wind stirred the ember. Technically this would be possible but it is a bit of a stretch to explain away the incident. Jeannie Saffin’s official cause of death was recorded by coroner, Dr. John Burton, as “broncho-pneumonia due to burns”, reportedly due only to the fact that when Jeannie’s family attempted to explain the spontaneous combustion they had witnessed, he replied “No such thing.”.
More recently, “Spontaneous Human Combustion” had been reported as an official cause of death.
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Demystifying the Process of Dying

As an aging body approaches death and begins slowly shutting down, many changes occur which often frighten those experiencing and witnessing the final days of a human life for the first time. We tend to fear things we don’t understand and because death is considered a “taboo” subject, most people don’t share what they observed after witnessing their loved one pass on. Generally, a person’s first “lesson” in death isn’t received until they are at the side of a spouse or parent who is dying, or until they are dying themselves and do not know what to expect from their final hours. In a person’s last few days, circulation begins to decrease throughout the body as blood flow is reserved for the most vital organs. Circulation having decreased, the dying person may feel increasingly cool to the touch on their hands, arms, feet and eventually legs. The brain, at this point, is no longer considered a “vital organ” and will receive less blood flow, which may lead to mental changes such as confusion and hallucinations. These hallucinations however, may be less of a “mental shift” due to lack of blood flow and more of a spiritual experience as the soul detaches from this Earth. Often times, as people reach their final days they begin having “visions”, claiming to have been visited by or spoken with deceased loved ones. Usually the “visions” are very real for the person experiencing them and comforting in the process of crossing over. Irregular breathing patterns may also be observed in a dying person. Shallow breathing is common, as is no breathing at all for periods of time usually lasting 5-30 seconds, but can last up to one minute. Due to the kidneys and other organs, which have been deemed “not vital”, operating at minimum capacity, someone reaching death may produce less urine than expected that is darker than normal. The “death rattle” can be a particularly disturbing end of life event for most family members and friends who witness a loved one pass. Death rattles can begin 2-3 days prior to death and is caused by build up of fluids (saliva, bronchial secretions) in the upper chest. Dying persons who have difficulty swallowing may also have excess fluids in the back of the throat. The “death rattle” produces a bizarre gurgling sound, which is similar to a rattling, hence the name. Once the heart and lungs stop functioning and brain activity ceases causing a loss of sentient personality, a person is considered to be clinically dead. In clinical death, brain cells begin scrambling to use of the last of the body’s oxygen supply, causing irreversible damage to themselves in the process. Aproximately 4-6 minutes after clinical death occurs, biological death follows. It is after biological death that resucitation becomes impossible.
Come back tomorrow to learn some weird things our bodies continue to do after we die!
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