Nexus - 1904 - New Times Magazine-pages

Page Content (OCR)

IRISH PENSIONER BURST INTO FLAMES n Irish coroner has ruled that Az elderly man who died in a house fire in December 2011 spontaneously combusted. The remarkable verdict was returned after an inquest heard that investigators were baffled over the death of Michael Faherty in Ballybane, Galway, on 22 December last year. Coroner Dr Ciaran McLoughlin decided that the 76-year-old had died of a phenomenon called "spontaneous human combustion". Dr McLoughlin said that he had never encountered such a case in the 25 years he's been investigating deaths in the region. He added: "This fire was thoroughly investigated. I'm left with the conclusion this fits into the category of spontaneous human combustion—for which there is no adequate explanation." Forensics experts said that a fire in the fireplace of the room where Mr Faherty's badly burnt body had been found was not the cause of the blaze that killed the Connemara man. Galway Coroner's Court was told that no trace of an accelerant had been found at the scene. There was no sign that anyone else had entered or left, and there was nothing to suggest foul play. Garda Gerard O'Callaghan said he had gone to the house after the fire had been extinguished and found Mr Faherty lying on his back in a small sitting room, with his head closest to an open fireplace. He said that the fire had been confined to the sitting room and that the rest of the house sustained only smoke damage. The only damage was to the remains of Mr Faherty, which had been totally burnt, the ceiling above him and the floor underneath. Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gerry O'Malley gave evidence that two experienced officers were of the opinion that the blaze had not spread from the hearth. He told Dr McLoughlin that they could not determine the cause of the killer fire. Pathologist Grace Callagy said that the body had been completely cremated, and that it had not been possible to determine the cause of death because of the extent of damage to the organs. Dr McLoughlin said he was satisfied that nobody had entered the house, and he was also satisfied that, while there was a fire burning in the hearth, this was not the cause of the inferno that had burnt Mr Faherty. Dr McLoughlin said he'd consulted medical textbooks and done other research in a bid to find an explanation. Mr Faherty's daughter Mairin said that her family was satisfied with the investigation and accepted the inquest's findings. However, she added: "Unfortunately, it doesn't provide us with any real explanation." Spontaneous human combustion is a phenomenon where a living person suddenly bursts into flames for no apparent reason. While there have been about 200,000 claimed cases worldwide over a period of around 300 years, most remain unproven for lack of thorough investigation. (Source: The Sun, UK, 23 September 2001, http://tinyurl.com/3zy3bqt) us any JUNE - JULY 2012 NEXUS ¢ 65 www.nexusmagazine.com