I am not suggesting they needed to be dead for a long time and fully dried out.
“Almost all postulated cases of SHC involve persons with low mobility due to advanced age or obesity, along with poor health.[14] Victims show a high likelihood of having died in their sleep, or of being unable to move once they had caught fire.”
“The "wick effect" hypothesis suggests that a small external flame source, such as a burning cigarette, chars the clothing of the victim at a location, splitting the skin and releasing subcutaneous fat, which is in turn absorbed into the burned clothing, acting as a wick.” For details: https://artcmr.com/Fire-ex/assets/combustion-of-animal-fat-a...
In other words a dead or effectively immobile person plus external ignition source could look like the human was what caught fire. Rather than a small external fire slowly consuming a body over a considerable amount of time. Further, several similar though slightly different means may be involved.
“Almost all postulated cases of SHC involve persons with low mobility due to advanced age or obesity, along with poor health.[14] Victims show a high likelihood of having died in their sleep, or of being unable to move once they had caught fire.”
“The "wick effect" hypothesis suggests that a small external flame source, such as a burning cigarette, chars the clothing of the victim at a location, splitting the skin and releasing subcutaneous fat, which is in turn absorbed into the burned clothing, acting as a wick.” For details: https://artcmr.com/Fire-ex/assets/combustion-of-animal-fat-a...
In other words a dead or effectively immobile person plus external ignition source could look like the human was what caught fire. Rather than a small external fire slowly consuming a body over a considerable amount of time. Further, several similar though slightly different means may be involved.