1987, December 28: Folkestone Man’s Combustion

The Legend:

On December 28, 1987, a 44-year-old man in Folkestone, Kent, England, was found very badly burnt (except for the feet) and lying on the floor of a kitchen in an flat (apartment) at a baker's shop around 10:30 AM. Though his body was badly burnt, there was only a little fire damage to the floor and objects near the body, including some plastic items that should have melted easily. There was a kettle of water on a lit gas burner on the stove, so his death could only have happened a short time before discovery or the water would have boiled. Autopsy showed that the man was a live when the fire had started -- he had inhaled fumes -- and he had a very high blood-alcohol level. Inquest brought an open verdict -- which means no answer was found -- and the ultimate cause of death could not be determined due to the state of the body.

Unreliable

        This is the first listing of this incident in Anomalies, and therefore will require more research to confirm it. This is especially true because the above comes from Jenny Randles and Peter Hough's 1992 book, Spontaneous Human Combustion; this book gives almost no sources for the accounts it relates, in this case attributing the above to "Author's own investigation"... which essentially means "Just trust us." For this reason, this account is marked as both "Unreliable" and "Investigate;" I will add new information as I get a chance to dig further.