#239 | Spontaneous Human Combustion (This Is Fire)
“... imagine the stories—hundreds of them, whispered over decades. A woman found in her kitchen, nothing but a pile of soot and a single unburned foot, the stove cold as stone. A farmer in his field, charred to nothing while the grass around him stays green. No screams, no smoke, just silence and a lingering smell of something wrong. Scientists scramble for answers—chemical reactions, freak accidents—but the truth slips through their fingers like ash in the wind...”
Episode Rundown
A man sits alone in his worn-out armchair, the flicker of a TV casting shadows across the room. Then, out of nowhere, a spark—no warning, no flame, just a sudden, impossible heat. In minutes, he’s gone, reduced to ash, while the chair beneath him barely smolders. They call it spontaneous human combustion, a mystery that creeps into the edges of our understanding, leaving behind questions that itch at the back of your mind. How does a body burn so hot, so fast, with no source, no fuel, no mercy?
Now imagine the stories—hundreds of them, whispered over decades. A woman found in her kitchen, nothing but a pile of soot and a single unburned foot, the stove cold as stone. A farmer in his field, charred to nothing while the grass around him stays green. No screams, no smoke, just silence and a lingering smell of something wrong. Scientists scramble for answers—chemical reactions, freak accidents—but the truth slips through their fingers like ash in the wind. Tonight, we’re diving into that darkness, peeling back the layers of this eerie riddle. What ignites a person from the inside out?
We’ll see you on the inside.
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TIME STAMPS:
0:00 - Cold Open w/ Distractions
1:14 - Intro Music
2:10 - Nightmare of a Nail Biter
5:06 - Christian's "Life Advice"
6:31 - This is Why We Have Timestamps, Folks. Use 'em.
8:36 - Today's Topic: Spontaneous Human Combustion
10:29 - Polonus Vorstius (Milan, Italy - 1400's)
13:20 - Why No Church Records From a Random Tavern?
13:50 - Thoughts on Spontaneous Human Combustion
15:05 - Nicole Millet (Paris, France - 1725)
15:40 - No Hearths Were Stroked, Apologies
18:00 - Wooden Spoon, UNTOUCHED!
19:03 - Countess Cornelia Zangari de Bandi (Cesena, Italy - 1745)
20:05 - Important Bob Villa v. Bob Villa Tangent
22:50 - Mary Reeser (Florida, USA - 1951)
26:02 - Can You Shrink a Skull?
28:00 - Dr. J. Irving Bentley (Pennsylvania, USA - 1966)
29:05 - The Bathe v. Fat Greasy Deuce Debacle
30:58 - Scott's Confusion Intensifies
32:19 - George Mott (Crown Point, New York - 1986)
32:36 - Widowers & Alcoholism
34:02 - Frank Baker (Vermont, USA - 1985)
35:26 - Much Needed Dry Mouth Cranberry Tea Break
36:30 - A Rare Survivor Thanks to Doinkin'
37:26 - Michael Faherty (County Galway, Ireland - 2010)
38:50 - Scott Accidentally Pisses Off His Irish Brethren, Apologies
40:40 - Unnamed German Woman (2015, Flensburg, Germany)
43:10 - The Wick Effect & Other Theories
44:40 - Experiments on Pig Carcasses (Nice)
53:27 - The Show Has Ended
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Producers: Eric Long
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The Twilight Zone meets Mystery Science Theatre 3000 meets an uncomfortable Thanksgiving dinner conversation with your in-laws. TFD is a weekly paranormal comedy podcast featuring real ghost stories, Cryptid lore discussions, and true paranormal experiences catering to the week’s theme.
Fresh episodes drop every Thursday across all podcast platforms, and feature perspectives from both believer and skeptic sides of the aisle. So if you’re a fan of haunted places, terrifying paranormal activity, and true ghost stories from real people, you’re in the right place, friend.
Recorded in an undisclosed location somewhere in the beautiful woods of Wasilla, Alaska.