Burnt

For the smell, think burned hair. This won't be anything like food cooking. Not even food burning. You can probably come up with a number of ways to find a handful of hair to burn if you haven's smelled this before.

Can't help with how fast bodies burn. They're mostly water, so your fire will have to be very big and very hot.

RossTheFireman might know.

He's a fireman.

[QUOTE=ireLocus]RossTheFireman might know.

He's a fireman.[/QUOTE]
Thanks, I'll drop him a note.

I do know and you got mail.

Could you post it here anyway though Ross? I'm curious to know now.

Re: Fire

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Well the best I can describe is a burnt body smells like a burnt hot dog on a barbeque.
I had a vehicle accident where four guys were burned to death because they hit so hard the car caught fire. As far as I could tell one of the victims was still alive when the car caught fire because his body was posistioned in such a matter that he was trying to escape.
Burnt hotdogs from a barbeque but the smell is overwhelming, but mix some fecal matter in with that smell because when people get burned that bad they lose thier bowels. Another way to describe it is you know when you barbeque a steak and there is a layer of fat that burns, it smells like the fat only 1000 times worse.
Your really cant burn a body without an acclerant. By accelerant I mean something supporting combustion. Humans have too much water in their bodies to support combustion on their own. But using a wood pile can do it. Best bet is to place a body in a car and light the car on fire, those usually cook bodies pretty well. What you need is something to support the combustion. I know your thinking as the example of an accelerant gasoline, but gasoline will burn only until their is none left. Maybe a dumpster full of garbage, those burn fairly well.

I hope this helps

Ross

Quote:
Originally Posted by notreallytrillian
Hey,

ireLocus in the research forum told me that I should ask you a question I posted there, because you're a fireman and you might know the answer. Hope this isn't a bother, but I thought I'd give it a shot.

Here's what I posted in the forum:

Does anyone here knows what burnt flesh smells like? Not the kind of burnt like you burnt you finger on a mini bic, but like third degree burns all over a body. Also, what's the best way to light someone on fire without using an excellorant? And if you didn't use an excellorant, how fast would the body burn?

Thanks so much for your time!
Robin

I just wanted to add that you should look up some info on spontaneous human combustion. The (non-insane) theory is that a person falls into a deep sleep with a cigarette while sitting uprigh or reclined in a chair. The clothes catch fire and burn in such a way that the subcutaneous fat catches fire, consuming the body except for the lower legs.

It's not technically what you wanted since the clothes act as a source of fuel, but it's the closest thing I can think of. And it would probably only happen if the person was elderly or drunk or drugged and wouldn't notice something like a cigarette burn or a burning shirt.

And this is all a slow burn that does little damage to the surrounding property.

I always thought burned bodies smelled like onions.

[QUOTE=Spike]I just wanted to add that you should look up some info on spontaneous human combustion. The (non-insane) theory is that a person falls into a deep sleep with a cigarette while sitting uprigh or reclined in a chair. The clothes catch fire and burn in such a way that the subcutaneous fat catches fire, consuming the body except for the lower legs.

It's not technically what you wanted since the clothes act as a source of fuel, but it's the closest thing I can think of. And it would probably only happen if the person was elderly or drunk or drugged and wouldn't notice something like a cigarette burn or a burning shirt.

And this is all a slow burn that does little damage to the surrounding property.[/QUOTE]

My biology teacher believes it is when processes within the cells get accelrated or too mcuh energy is rleased at one time in the form of RNA.. its pretty complciated btu it makes sense...

[QUOTE=Spike]I just wanted to add that you should look up some info on spontaneous human combustion. The (non-insane) theory is that a person falls into a deep sleep with a cigarette while sitting uprigh or reclined in a chair. The clothes catch fire and burn in such a way that the subcutaneous fat catches fire, consuming the body except for the lower legs.

It's not technically what you wanted since the clothes act as a source of fuel, but it's the closest thing I can think of. And it would probably only happen if the person was elderly or drunk or drugged and wouldn't notice something like a cigarette burn or a burning shirt.

And this is all a slow burn that does little damage to the surrounding property.[/QUOTE]
Hey, thanks for the suggestion. I hadn't thought about it before, but I actually used it in a one liner in my short story involving this, so thanks a bunch!

By the way, does anyone know when you use 'burned' and when you use 'burnt'? When is it innapropriate to use 'burnt'?

i think it's like 'he burned himself' or 'he was burnt'. that kind of thing.

My uncle was burned all over his body working at a steel mill. They were mostly second degree burns with a few third degree ones. He was standing on top of a truck next to a fire. The truck started rolling and he fell in the fire.

He told me he knew it was serious when he smelled what was going on. After the initial shock he said it smelled like when you put a steak in the microwave to defrost, but leave it in too long combined with the smell of burning hair (he says burnt popcorn, but I don't think burnt popcorn smells a lot like burning hair).

My uncle is OK. He got a skin graft on his neck so that he wqould look normal in a T-shirt. They took some unburned skin from an area of his back. Now we always tell him, "Charlie, scratch your back." and he scratches his neck. Pretty funny guy.

Do chemical burns behave like normal burns? I'm writing a story involving sulfuric acid.

No (mostly). I worked for a dermatologist, and got to see chemical burns all the time. The trauma to the skin is different, and it depends on the chemical and depth of penetration, as well as if the chemical is acid based or other...

make some reserch!

yeah i held my hand over a hurricane lamp for a bet once, there is a smell, i don't know if i can describe it, it was pungent and sour and toxic, it really filled your nose.

I used to take the lighter that would be in my pocket at the time and let the gas escape - still in my pocket - and then light it. Afterwards, my hand would smell like really good steak.

[QUOTE=fuzzylogic;1049175]Do chemical burns behave like normal burns? I'm writing a story involving sulfuric acid.[/QUOTE]

I got some dilute sulfuric acid on my hand once, got it off and neutralized quickly, but it left the skin with a toasted skin smell, a bit like pork rinds, but that was on tougher, callousy skin, and it wasn't much of a burn.

The other thing that made a lasting impression on me about working with strong acids was even though I was working in a fume hood, there was a sour taste in my mouth, and later the sweat on my face had a sour taste to it, like if I licked my lips.

Concentrated sulfuric acid is a bit different, has a funny sweet smell to it, sulfury but not like rotten eggs, not sure how to describe it. It's also a bit viscous, like oil.