Doctors are confounded, but parents of a baby boy in India insist: The tyke has burst into flames for no apparent reason at least three times since birth.
The baby — cited in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution only by the name of Rahul — was born in May, and parents said that they first noticed flames suddenly appearing on his stomach and knees when he was just nine days old. And since, it’s happened a handful of other time.
“The case has baffled experts in India, with doctors suggesting the cause of [the baby] Rahul’s mystery burns could be due to combustible gases emitting from his pores,” his parents said, in the report.
Spontaneous human combustion is rare — but it does occur. Some cases have been reported as far back as 1663, and in 2011, there was a coroner in Ireland who cited the occurrence as an official cause of death on filed paperwork.
Rahul is currently undergoing tests, AJC reported.
The New York Times, meanwhile, reported that the baby and his parents lived at a relative’s house during the first combustible fire experience, and it was since found that the home was located in an area that had been contaminated with phosphorous — a highly flammable material. Fire department officials confirmed the presence of the chemical in that region.
Doctors, meanwhile, are still puzzled and unsure why the baby has seemingly burst into flames, even after moving from that home. But the family has been banned from the village in the meantime, AJC reported. Villagers are afraid the baby might catch their homes on fire.
• Cheryl K. Chumley can be reached at cchumley@washingtontimes.com.
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