[Fatalities caused by exposure to heat]

Abstract

Between 1978 and 1987 52 cases of death by burning or in connection with fire (13 females and 39 males) were examined at the Institute of Legal Medicine of the Medical School of Hannover. The causes were fires in flats (25), cars (15) and buildings(4), clothes set on fire (3) and explosions (3). In two cases death was caused by scalding. These cases could be divided into accidents (30), over 1/3 caused by smoking (11)), suicides (9) and homicides (6). The other seven cases could not be clarified definitively. Evidence of CO-elevation (38), soot inhalation (33), petechiae (11) and "crow's feet" (6) were noted. However, isolated findings cannot lead to a satisfactory assessment after death by burning. The reconstruction of events requires a comprehensive evaluation of the case history, the scene of death and the autopsy as well as complementary analyses. Therefore intensive cooperation between criminal investigators and forensic physicians is absolutely necessary.