A 600 lb. Grease Fire

[ClydeJr]

http://www.abc4.com/local_news/local_headlines/story.aspx?content_id=231A7EEB-BB03-4D79-B967-2EEA839D3D98

A dead man had one final earthly act before moving on.

Fire officials said the six-hundred pound man was in being cremated when his body fluids were too much for the oven.

The body fluids seeped out onto the floor and ignited causing a fire at the Garner Funeral Home in Salt Lake City.

"Those fluids can be very flammable," said Scott Freitag of the Salt Lake City fire department. "Sort of like a grease fire."

An employee used an extinguisher to put out the fire.

The room is self-contained and has its own drainage system.

"There really is no risk or a hazard of it getting into the sewer system, the water system or into the general public," said Freitag.

Firefighters rarely see these kind of fires.

But they say a six-hundred-pound body can create problems during a cremation.

"It really does condense or breaks down that fat into a greasy product, just like a grease fire," said Freitag. "Only a little bit can cause a flame to go up."

The crematorium is back in business and the funeral director said they'll notify the family to assure them their loved one wasn't harmed.

[kaid]

Okay that last quote at the end is one of the damn weirdest quotes I have ever seen. No your loved one wasn't harmed. He was lit on fire until his rendered fat leaked out and lit the place on fire. But otherwise he is just freaking dandy.

kaid

[Roac]

I dunno, I don't think that quote was that odd aside from being obvious.  I mean, I'd be more interested in how a cremated corpse *could* be harmed.

[Strazos]

Maybe if they urinated on it to put out the flames?

[Trippy]

I dunno, I don't think that quote was that odd aside from being obvious.  I mean, I'd be more interested in how a cremated corpse *could* be harmed.

My guess is if something happened to the body/ashes like they got washed down the drain while putting out the fire or something.