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Woman Dies In Fire Possibly The Victim Of Spontaneous Human Combustion

At the time of her death, Conway was being visited by two of her grandchildren, ages 6 and 8. At some point, a neighbor noticed smoke coming from the home and was able to rescue the children.

Vincent Bloodworth
Vincent Bloodworth
May 18, 20225 Shares823 Views
Woman Dies In Fire Possibly The Victim Of Spontaneous Human Combustion

At the time of her death, Conway was being visited by two of her grandchildren, ages 6 and 8. At some point, a neighbor noticed smoke coming from the home and was able to rescue the children. Conway was in her bedroom, however, and the heat prevented the neighbor from entering the room. Firefighters were called and arrived to find the upper body and a portion of her armchair reduced to ashes, while the corner wall behind her had been scorched.

Strangely, while flames completely consumed her head, arms, and abdomen, her legs and most of the bedroom had been unmarred by fire. The destruction of Conway’s body was some complete, insurance investigators sifted through her remains to find her wedding ring to confirm her identity.

The fire chief responding to the call estimated Conway had been on fire for 21 minutes, factoring in the time it took the firefighters to respond and the amount of time that would likely have passed before the neighbor noticed the smoke.

Often, in cases of spontaneous human combustion (SHC), the so-called wick effect is cited as a probable explanation for a human body being destroyed by fire while the surrounding area is unaffected. The wick effect involves the person’s fat acting as a candle’s wax, while their clothing, bedding, or other materials act as a wick, pulling the fat through the fabric to the flame while the “wick” remains intact. This produces a slow, low-temperature burn, which can cause the cremation of a body without scathing nearby items. However, the wick effect takes hours to reach the extent of damage Conway’s body endured.

Proponents of SHC suggested Conway’s body fats melted quickly and acted as a grease fire, pointing to a firefighter’s account who said he touched “something greasy” while examining Conway’s body. Those who are skeptical of SHC suggest the timeframe of Conway’s fire was incorrect (such as the fire happening much earlier before the neighbor noticed than what the fire chief had estimated) and noted Conway was a careless, heavy smoker (several cigarette burn marks were found throughout her home).

Officially, Conway’s death has been attributed to 3rd-degree burns and was deemed to be accidental.

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