A crematorium oven burst into flames mid-cremation after burning the body of a 140-kilo woman.
The incident happened at Funeraria J. Garcia Lopez in Mexico City, the capital of Mexico, on the afternoon of Tuesday, 24th February.
Human body fat burns like candle wax once it is properly ignited: it melts, turns into an oily liquid, and can “feed” a sustained fire if there is an external heat source to get going.
But once burning, it can reach hundreds of degrees Celsius and produce an intense, long-lasting heat output as happened when employees reported that one of the cremation ovens began to overheat while the body was being burned.
The oven warped, emitting excessive smoke when a leak appeared in the equipment.
Staff immediately called emergency services as the fire spread within the oven area.
Firefighters from the Heroic Fire Department of Mexico City went to the scene alongside officers from the Secretariat of Citizen Security (SSC-CDMX).
In a statement posted on X, the fire department said: “We responded to a fire on General Prim Street, colonia Juarez, in the Cuauhtemoc borough.
“In a funeral home, a crematorium oven burned; we proceeded to extinguish the fire.”
Video shows the charred oven with visible burn marks, warped metal and ash inside the chamber after crews brought the blaze under control.
No injuries were reported, although officials confirmed there was significant material damage to the cremation equipment. The building was briefly evacuated as a precaution while firefighters carried out cooling operations.
Funeral home staff said that the fire began during the cremation of a female body weighing approximately 130 to 140 kilogrammes, and was so large they had been unable to close the lid.
Authorities have not formally confirmed the cause of the blaze, and expert investigators are conducting inquiries into what triggered the malfunction.
To find out more about the author, editor or agency that supplied this story – please click below. Story By: Aloysius Fernandes, Sub-Editor: Simona Kitanovska, Agency:Clipzilla
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