Combustion of animal fat and its implications for the consumption of human bodies in fires

This paper describes experiments in which the combustion of animal tissue (pork) was measured under a variety of conditions that may be encountered in fire scenes. Combustion depends on substantial preheating of the tissue by an external heat source and the availability of a porous wick (such as cha...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Science & justice 1999, Vol.39 (1), p.27-38
Main Authors: DeHaan, J.D., Campbell, S.J., Nurbakhsh, S.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adipose Tissue
Animals
Arson
Body consumption
Chemical Phenomena
Chemistry, Physical
Fat
Fire investigation
Fires
Forensic Medicine - methods
Forensic science
Hot Temperature
Humans
Spontaneous combustion
Swine
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Summary:This paper describes experiments in which the combustion of animal tissue (pork) was measured under a variety of conditions that may be encountered in fire scenes. Combustion depends on substantial preheating of the tissue by an external heat source and the availability of a porous wick (such as charred cellulosic material). Combustion of moderate-size samples can proceed at a moderate rate of 1-3 g/s (3.6-10.8 kg/hr) if provided with an adequate wick and results in only a small fire of 30-50 kW. In the final test, combustion of 26 kg of fat and skin created a fire of 120-130 kW. Such a fire is more likely to cause fire spread to other combustibles nearby. The presence of other, less efficient fuels (like skin and muscle) and the absence of large fuel masses (such as in the very lean pig carcasses used here) results in significantly smaller fires of 40-50 kW. Such fires are more typical of burning human remains when there are minimal contributions from other fuels.
ISSN:1355-0306
1876-4452
DOI:10.1016/S1355-0306(99)72011-3