In history, this strange case has remained not only as one of the most investigated cases of spontaneous combustion in the last half century, but also as the first (and still the last) case of spontaneous combustion of a person in Ireland.
Michael Fairty was a 76-year-old man who lived in Galway, Ireland. On December 22, 2010, his almost completely burnt body was found in his own house between the extinct fireplace and the chair in which he had been sitting before the incident.
The surface of Faerty's body had practically turned into solid black ash, and only the legs and feet were completely intact. Also, the fire did not affect anything in the room, except for the floor under the body.
House of Michael Fairty.
At first glance, it was clear that this was something unusual, but most likely one of those mysterious cases of spontaneous combustion of a person, which still cannot be scientifically substantiated.
The fire was discovered by his neighbor named Mannon, who in the middle of the night smelled a strong smell of burning. Mannon went outside and saw a dark smoke coming from the half-open window of the Faerty house. No one opened the door to him, and then he called the firemen.
Faerty's body lay on its back, head towards the fireplace, but it was proven that the fire did not originate from the fireplace. It is possible that the fire engulfed the man's body when he was still sitting or sleeping in the chair, after which he only had the strength to get up and then collapse to the floor.
The investigators, the coroner, and the pathologist were bewildered by this strange death. According to coroner Keeran McLaughlin, in his 25 years of service, he has never encountered such an unusual case.
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The pathologist was able to discover from the state of the deceased's internal organs that he was diabetic and suffered from high blood pressure, but his heart was in order that evening and his death was not from a heart attack. The real cause of death of the man remained unclear, officially due to "too extensive damage from burns."
When spontaneous combustion was ultimately blamed as the cause of the incident, the police received a lot of criticism, which most people consider to be fiction.
Critics stated that most likely a coal fell out of the fireplace and set fire to Faerty's robe. However, how can you explain that Fairty continued to sit in the chair and burn alive and did not even wake up? He did not abuse alcohol that night.
And when he woke up, why did he immediately collapse dead on the floor and could not run away? Was he already so hot by that time? But why, then, is the upholstery of none of the two armchairs standing by the fireplace not damaged by fire? Could Flaherty have caught fire when he was standing by the fireplace? Quite. But then again, did it really happen so instantly that he could not then move away from the fireplace a single step?
In a panic, when fire engulfs your body, you will most likely rush anywhere, headlong, just to find water or a blanket to bring down the flames. You will not stand still. Unless spontaneous combustion really was spontaneous and extremely quickly covered the entire body of a man, burning the skin. In this case, he could immediately collapse, dying of painful shock.
There are still more questions in this case than answers, but the investigation has long been officially closed.