1987, October 3: Shalbourne Man’s Combustion

The Legend:

On October 3, 1987, an 86-year-old man in Shalbourne, Wiltshire, England, burst into flames while sitting on a settee; this was witnessed by his housekeeper. She reported that fire first emerged from his nose and mouth, and then spread to his stomach. The man died; his body and the settee were largely destroyed by the fire. Police could find no sign of cause of death [which I should hope means they could find no cause for the fire... since the overall cause of death seems obvious. --GARTH].

