It's Gettin' Hot in Here: Cremation and Spontaneous Human Combustion

Fire purifies. Fire destroys. For thousands of years, humans have turned to flames in death rituals, beliefs, and final sendoffs in smoke and ash. But what happens when the fire comes from within?

Today, we’re poking at the coals of cremation rituals from around the world- some sacred, some strange, and some... still burning with mystery. And then we’re taking a sharp left into one of the weirdest, most unsettling phenomena out there: spontaneous human combustion.

Is it divine retribution? A medical mystery? Or just a really unfortunate cigarette? Whatever it is, it’s left scorched rooms, untouched furniture, and a whole lot of questions.

So light a candle—or maybe don’t—and join us as we explore the fire that humans control… and the one that might be lurking inside us all.