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76-year-old Irish Man Dies of Spontaneous Human Combustion

by VR Sreeraman on Sep 25 2011 8:29 AM

 76-year-old Irish Man Dies of Spontaneous Human Combustion
A coroner has ruled that a 76-year-old Irish man who was found burnt to death at this home in Galway, died of spontaneous human combustion.
Michael Faherty died at his house last year in circumstances that had baffled investigators.

The court heard that a smoke alarm in the home of Faherty's neighbour Tom Mannion had gone off at about 3a.m. local time on December 22, 2010.

Mannion said he went outside and saw heavy smoke coming from Faherty's house and called the police and fire brigade.

A police officer then went to the house after the fire had been extinguished and found Faherty lying on his back in a sitting room, with his head closest to the fireplace, The Guardian reports.

The inquest heard that fire officers had been unable to determine the cause or the origin of the fire.

The West Galway coroner, Kieran McLoughlin, said there was no other adequate explanation for Faherty's death, except spontaneous human combustion, adding that this was the first time in his 25 years he had given such a verdict.

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"This fire was thoroughly investigated and I'm left with the conclusion that this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion, for which there is no adequate explanation," the paper quoted McLoughlin, as saying.

Source-ANI


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