Spontaneous combustion can have several meanings:

• The self-ignition, or apparent self-ignition, and burning of any mass; often of highly flammable materials, such as a pile of oily rags; see combustion.
• Spontaneous human combustion is the alleged phenomenon of a human being suddenly bursting into flames.
• Pyrophoric materials can ignite spontaneously under certain conditions:
  • Some types of coal are susceptible to spontaneous ignition.
  • Some alloys, such as ferrocerium for lighter "flints" and the hardened depleted uranium used in anti-armor weapons, have a low ignition temperature when finely divided. Scraping such an alloy tends to create a large number of sparks, and pulverizing it can lead to a fierce metal fire.
  • Other substances such as caesium, rubidium or silanes can ignite spontaneously when contacting air. See pyrophoricity.
  • Sodium metal ignites spontaneously when placed in water.

In popular culture

• "Spontaneous Combustion" is an episode of the South Park television series.

Selbstentzündung | Combustione spontanea | Självantändning | 自燃