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Did spontaneous combustion really kill OK man?

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    Dr. Michael Baden explains mysterious death

  • Duration 4:52
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Back -- when we're getting some new information on a very mysterious death.

In Oklahoma Tulsa firefighters responded to the home of 65 year old Danny Dan Dan.

After neighbors reported smoke coming from his windows when they got there the firefighters they found the man's charred remains.

In his kitchen.

With the rest of the home almost untouched.

By any fire by any flames in a plastic -- very close spy.

We're not even melted.

Investigators still don't know what happened here what started the fire the sheriff says he's never seen anything like it before.

Even the fire marshals calling -- -- mystery and -- summer race in the question believe it or not.

Is this -- case of spontaneous.

Human combustion.

Big question mark there doctor Michael Biden is a forensic pathologist and a Fox News contributor doctor bottom what do you think.

-- -- There's no such thing as the body bursting into flame which is what is spontaneous human combustion.

Implies.

This is a situation.

And I've investigated a few of these cases over the years -- -- a person.

Burns who dies of flame burns of the body and which the cause of the flame isn't found.

It's often a cigarette butt or -- stick that falls on to clothing the clothing burns there were often older people who.

Have limited ability to get out of harm's way.

And the body is destroyed much more than the usual five year.

And the reason -- that is.

The -- -- skin breaks and the fat of the body starts to burn.

Where the fire originally started in the outside close and there are a number of places in the kitchen where was that could cause -- I have.

-- and how would fire not spratt.

Well -- is burned vertically they burn upwards.

And these fires -- smolder.

The it didn't matter.

You too young Janet.

Original tanking -- giant at the original candles were made out of animal fat.

Because animal fat.

Burns very slowly and it kind of smolders and that's what happens to the body as the fat of the body starts to burn.

And it dozens of the fires don't spread lateral -- the only spread upwards.

And it stays in the one area and doesn't destroy the rest of the house.

And the doesn't destroying nearby he.

Furniture but -- act on the doctor -- in this case there was no cigarette butt or anything like that found next to the body.

Yeah that's because the fire destroy its when the fire destroys the -- that thing that ignites it a match.

If -- older person trying to -- something in the fire in the kitchen with a match.

Or.

Smoking a cigarette and -- ashes dropped down on clothing the clothing we'll start.

The the fire -- will cause the skin to a separate as it did jars.

And then the fat becomes the source of the fired continuing it's called the week effect and -- -- -- -- slowly -- smolders.

It doesn't spread sideways.

And it causes much more damage to the dead body than an ordinary fire -- so what goes on the death certificate here is the cause of death.

I I would put down the cause his death as.

Death due to due to fire with carbon monoxide and flame burned in relation flame burns.

Source undetermined.

When we don't know the cause of it but is no mystery.

It okay with that that was -- the question final questions for you doctor -- because you're looking at this story and you know -- -- questions -- raised.

Have you ever been in the situation in your professional experience though where you just can't explain something that there is no explanation it truly is a mystery.

Sure absolutely and that's why we have on the deficit to be good undetermined.

Cause of death -- you -- -- 2% of deaths the United States.

The -- is on determined here we know the person died of the fire.

What we don't know was the cause of the fire chair and that's the -- -- that the fact that.

There was a fire that we know the cause of death but -- -- -- -- -- -- -- great -- expertise I think line again and very relieved that of all the things that we have to worry about.

-- have that spontaneous combustion is not one of them thought well I believe that into the weekend feeling better doctor behind thinking yeah.

The local -- did well in the local sheriff quoted as saying you know you'd think somebody poured some flammable accelerant on him or something but there is no evidence of that so it's it's very very weird just basically he burned bodies in the kitchen and now.

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