Post by alienbeing on Sept 23, 2011 21:06:23 GMT 10
OAP burst into flames in his own home
A PENSIONER who died in a house fire SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED, a coroner ruled yesterday.
The remarkable verdict was returned after an inquest heard investigators were baffled over the death of Michael Faherty, in Ballybane, Galway, on December 22 last year.
Coroner Ciaran McLoughlin decided the 76-year-old died of a phenomenon called spontaneous human combustion.
Dr McLoughlin said 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."
Initially, police sealed off the house in Clareview Park, suspecting foul play — but this was soon ruled out.
Forensics experts said 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 elderly Connemara native.
Galway Coroner's Court was told 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 the fire had been confined to the sitting room and 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.
Neighbour Tom Mannion had alerted the authorities after his fire alarm went off at around 3am on December 22.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gerry O'Malley gave evidence that two experienced officers were of the opinion the blaze had not spread from the hearth.
He told Dr McLoughlin they could not determine the cause of the killer fire.
Pathologist Grace Callagy said Mr Faherty, who suffered from diabetes and hypertension, had last been seen two to three days before his remains were found.
She said the body had been completely cremated and 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 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. In a book on forensic pathology, he added, Professor Bernard Knight noted that reported spontaneous combustion cases were almost always near an open fireplace or chimney.
Mr Faherty's daughter Mairin said her family was satisfied with the investigation and they accepted the inquest's findings. However, she added: "Unfortunately, it doesn't provide us with any real explanation."
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3831763/Pensioner-burst-into-flames.html
A PENSIONER who died in a house fire SPONTANEOUSLY COMBUSTED, a coroner ruled yesterday.
The remarkable verdict was returned after an inquest heard investigators were baffled over the death of Michael Faherty, in Ballybane, Galway, on December 22 last year.
Coroner Ciaran McLoughlin decided the 76-year-old died of a phenomenon called spontaneous human combustion.
Dr McLoughlin said 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."
Initially, police sealed off the house in Clareview Park, suspecting foul play — but this was soon ruled out.
Forensics experts said 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 elderly Connemara native.
Galway Coroner's Court was told 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 the fire had been confined to the sitting room and 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.
Neighbour Tom Mannion had alerted the authorities after his fire alarm went off at around 3am on December 22.
Assistant Chief Fire Officer Gerry O'Malley gave evidence that two experienced officers were of the opinion the blaze had not spread from the hearth.
He told Dr McLoughlin they could not determine the cause of the killer fire.
Pathologist Grace Callagy said Mr Faherty, who suffered from diabetes and hypertension, had last been seen two to three days before his remains were found.
She said the body had been completely cremated and 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 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. In a book on forensic pathology, he added, Professor Bernard Knight noted that reported spontaneous combustion cases were almost always near an open fireplace or chimney.
Mr Faherty's daughter Mairin said her family was satisfied with the investigation and they accepted the inquest's findings. However, she added: "Unfortunately, it doesn't provide us with any real explanation."
www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3831763/Pensioner-burst-into-flames.html