# Cremated alive? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 17, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182 "2013-06-17T14:40:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jessiwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jessiwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessiwan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/1 "2013-06-17T14:40:16Z")
Hi, I was asking this guy about a person being cremated alive. He told me that he actually would not feel anything, due to an overload of stress signal his brain is going to receive, and how his brain will simply shut down. Is this true? Also, how soon will this person being fed into a cremation oven lose consciousness? How many seconds? Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/2 "2013-06-17T14:53:06Z")
The whole pain response shutting down due to overload is wishful thinking. You’re going to remain conscious and in agony until the nerves are destroyed, and possibly even after that. Shock can numb pain, but it doesn’t do so reliably. How soon you’d lose consciousness depends in part on how hot the oven is. If you hold your breath going in you _might_ survive a bit longer than you wound inhaling superheated air. ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/3 "2013-06-17T14:55:53Z")
I once asked a medical examiner what the most painful way to die was, and he said without skipping a beat “Being burned alive.” Fortunately in fires, most people die of smoke inhalation before they are burned. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/4 "2013-06-17T14:56:12Z")
Modern crematoriums operate at a temperature of between 870-980 degrees C(1600-1800 degrees F), and by law the retort door cannot be opened until it has reached operating temperature. Seeing as how the law requires that there are temperature shut-off and door releases inside the chamber, I’d guess _somebody_ believes that there is time to operate such equipment…which means that there is time to feel pain. [Cremation.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cremation#Controversial_cases_of_cremation_in_recent_history) ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/5 "2013-06-17T14:58:04Z")
So, where are the pictures? ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/6 "2013-06-17T15:14:05Z")
> [@jessiwan](#): > > … He told me that he actually would not feel anything, … How many seconds?.. To me, there is a very obvious fallacy in this question. ANY number of seconds greater than zero would mean that the person DOES feel SOMEthing. Isn’t this obvious? ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/7 "2013-06-17T15:23:11Z")
> [@Keeve](#): > > To me, there is a very obvious fallacy in this question. ANY number of seconds greater than zero would mean that the person DOES feel SOMEthing. Isn’t this obvious? Not in the case of a sudden crash for instance. You can be dead or unconscious before there is time for the pain signals to reach your brain. Of course that is probably not the case with live cremation. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/8 "2013-06-17T15:25:16Z")
‘If we burn her, she gets stuffed in the flames, crackle, crackle, crackle, which is a bit of a shock if she’s not quite dead, but quick.’ ---
**Author:** ![jayjay](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jayjay/32/6765_2.png) [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 4:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/9 "2013-06-17T16:06:48Z")
If an OP ever deserved to have “Need answer fast” in it… ---
**Author:** ![jessiwan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ce73a5/32.png) [@jessiwan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jessiwan)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/10 "2013-06-17T19:08:38Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > The whole pain response shutting down due to overload is wishful thinking. You’re going to remain conscious and in agony until the nerves are destroyed, and possibly even after that. Shock can numb pain, but it doesn’t do so reliably. Hi thanks for responding. question, how can there still be pain after the nerve endings are destroyed? > [@](#): > > How soon you’d lose consciousness depends in part on how hot the oven is. Assuming the oven is burning at 800 degree celsius. How soon will the person lose consciousness? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/11 "2013-06-17T19:11:54Z")
> [@jessiwan](#): > > Assuming the oven is burning at 800 degree celsius. How soon will the person lose consciousness? I can’t tell you. Every time I’ve shoved a live person into one of those things they would hit the internal emergency shutoff switch, and the law won’t allow me to disable the damn thing. ---
**Author:** ![PastTense](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pasttense/32/14550_2.png) [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/12 "2013-06-17T19:30:42Z")
Here you are, watch it yourself: [![]( " - YouTube") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msnkzttcpdc) ---
**Author:** ![ZenBeam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/3ab097/32.png) [@ZenBeam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZenBeam)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/13 "2013-06-17T21:41:56Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Modern crematoriums operate at a temperature of between 870-980 degrees C(1600-1800 degrees F), and by law the retort door cannot be opened until it has reached operating temperature. Seeing as how the law requires that there are temperature shut-off and door releases inside the chamber, I’d guess _somebody_ believes that there is time to operate such equipment…which means that there is time to feel pain. > [Cremation.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cremation#Controversial_cases_of_cremation_in_recent_history) If you were in a cold crematorium, performing maintenance perhaps, and someone shut the door and turned it on, you’d appreciate being able to turn off the heat and open the door from the inside. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/14 "2013-06-17T21:47:08Z")
> [@ZenBeam](#): > > If you were in a cold crematorium, performing maintenance perhaps, and someone shut the door and turned it on, you’d appreciate being able to turn off the heat and open the door from the inside. I can’t do much more until I get some volunteers that won’t cop out at the last second. ---
**Author:** ![gnoitall](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bb73d2/32.png) [@gnoitall](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gnoitall)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/15 "2013-06-17T23:00:34Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > I can’t do much more until I get some volunteers that won’t cop out at the last second. Promise them cake at their victory candescence. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2013, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/16 "2013-06-17T23:08:57Z")
> [@jessiwan](#): > > Hi thanks for responding. question, how can there still be pain after the nerve endings are destroyed? [Phantom pain](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_pain). The body can feel pain in bits that are no longer there. > [@](#): > > Assuming the oven is burning at 800 degree celsius. How soon will the person lose consciousness? I have no idea. Pretty quick, but not quick enough to escape pain. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/17 "2013-06-18T00:29:01Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Promise them cake at their victory candescence. I tried that. They didn’t think “_Be_ the candle!” was very funny. ---
**Author:** ![Scarlett67](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scarlett67/32/7387_2.png) [@Scarlett67](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scarlett67)\ **Post date:** [June 18, 2013, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cremated-alive/661182/18 "2013-06-18T00:35:18Z")
A few years after graduation, one of my high school classmates drove herself out to the (thankfully vacant) sports park, doused the inside of her car with gasoline, and lit a match. I cannot imagine the mental state that would make someone do that. I was tormented by “mean girls” in high school, and though she was part of their circle she was always friendly to me. RIP J.