South Carolina is loaded with history and ghostly tales of suspense. Other paranormal phenomena are also regularly reported here. And of course, we have our legendary tale of the “swamp man.” Ghosts and paranormal activities are pretty normal in a state with such intense history.
Outside of that realm, there’s a one-its-a-kind South Carolina incident that has been called by many a case of “spontaneous human combustion.”
Flickr/Peter Miller In 1953 on Greenville’s SC-291, otherwise known as Pleasantburg Drive, the charred remains of a man were found in the front seat of his closed vehicle.
Flickr/Shawn Harquail Authorities couldn’t find any evidence of a substance that would have started the fire, even though the car had a half tank of gasoline.
Flickr/Randy von Liski In addition, the inside of the car was relatively undamaged except for the windshield which was bubbled and bowed inward from the intense heat. Apparently, authorities were stumped as to how the man’s body could have burned - from the inside out.What happened to this man on Pleasantburg Road In Greenville may be the one and only instance of spontaneous human combustion in the Palmetto State. But it’s not the only time it’s happened.
Spontaneous human combustion is the burning (combustion) of a human body without any apparent external source of ignition.
Flickr/Peter Miller
In 1953 on Greenville’s SC-291, otherwise known as Pleasantburg Drive, the charred remains of a man were found in the front seat of his closed vehicle.
Flickr/Shawn Harquail
Authorities couldn’t find any evidence of a substance that would have started the fire, even though the car had a half tank of gasoline.
Flickr/Randy von Liski
In addition, the inside of the car was relatively undamaged except for the windshield which was bubbled and bowed inward from the intense heat. Apparently, authorities were stumped as to how the man’s body could have burned - from the inside out.What happened to this man on Pleasantburg Road In Greenville may be the one and only instance of spontaneous human combustion in the Palmetto State. But it’s not the only time it’s happened.
The first case we could find of spontaneous human combustion was in the late 1400s when an Italian knight consumed two full ladles of wine. Some accounts say he spat up fire as he burst into flames.
More recently, in 2010, a man’s death in Ireland was determined to be from spontaneous human combustion after all other possibilities were ruled out by authorities.
New theories have emerged recently about the causes and source of spontaneous human combustion. Do you think it’s possible for someone to ignite and burn from the inside out?
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