# Spontaneous Human Combustion in the 21st Century

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966>\
**Category:** Cecil's Columns/Staff Reports\
**Created:** [February 17, 2015, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966 "2015-02-17T23:23:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 2

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**Author:** ![John\_W.Kennedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_w.kennedy/32/1031_2.png) [@John\_W.Kennedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_W.Kennedy)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966/21 "2015-02-20T01:50:44Z")

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The “truthers” do indeed point out that jet fuel doesn’t burn hot enough to melt steel. What they do not seem to understand is that it does burn hot enough to _soften_ steel. I guess they’ve never seen a western. Or a production of _Siegfried_.

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**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 1:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966/22 "2015-02-20T13:29:26Z")

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[Here’s a story about a guy who fell asleep drunk and someone else spontaneously combusted him.](http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2959976/Horrific-injuries-suffered-man-set-FIRE-men-drinking-session-fell-asleep-bath-led-losing-leg.html) He woke up in the hospital with one leg amputated below the knee.

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**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\
**Post date:** [February 20, 2015, 4:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966/23 "2015-02-20T16:41:47Z")

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> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#):
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> “Hey, kid, get off my lawn - and stop setting it on fire as you spontaneously combust!”

“And stop smoking each other!”

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**Author:** ![eastcheap](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/8491ac/32.png) [@eastcheap](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eastcheap)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966/24 "2015-02-21T07:47:19Z")

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> [@Jackmannii](#):
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> People still smoke in their homes, but with declining smoking rates and a less permissive attitude toward allowing it in rental dwellings, it’s true that there is less opportunity to set yourself on fire from an unattended cigarette and “spontaneously combust”.

Also, there are fewer silk smoking jackets…

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**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\
**Post date:** [February 21, 2015, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/spontaneous-human-combustion-in-the-21st-century/712966/25 "2015-02-21T21:57:09Z")

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What kind of ticket do you want? (at 1:25): [Airplane!: Smoking. - YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0tR4jBtdROE)

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