500lb corpse causes grease fire at crematorium

we arrest people bc they abuse drugs but dont even throw an intervention for the morbidly obese. We should commit these people for attempted suicide.

a reply to: theyknowwhoyouare

Are you seriously suggesting committing people to a psychiatric hospital for being overweight?
How about we do the same for smokers? Or diabetics who sneak a candy bar? Maybe that alcoholic who slips off the wagon would benefit from a year in jail?
You're not the Mayor of New York are you?

a reply to: Hefficide

woah what the hay-

That Tri-State Crematory story is bizarre. The crematorium was working and it would have been easier to just cremate them rather than scatter them around in buildings and in the nearby woods. He wouldn't even give an answer as to why.

I can't understand. Could it have been an elaborate scheme to supply bodies for underground research?
Or did he want to become a necromancer and build an army of undead zombies to do his bidding?

a reply to: DAVID64

next we'll be fining tall people for stealing all the good oxygen

Sounds like faulty or improperly designed equipment. The manufacturer should put a label on it that limits the weight of the inputted material. Maybe a 350 lb cutoff.

The product now known as the Volcano.

a reply to: Hefficide

I know several claustrophobics who want to be cremated because their biggest fear about death is spending eternity buried in a box.

Exactly,
certain cultures believe that burning the body at death frees the soul to pursue it's further journeys. I am not sure where I sit on this thought, but I didn't want to err on the wrong side, so when Lucy (my 4 legged companion) passed earlier this year she was creamated.

a reply to: alexball

I cannot understand why people would want to get cremated, when you can just get buried instead.

it could have to do with the fact that it is much cheaper to be cremated than buried. i had a uncle that was not very well off, didn't have much and had no family except his brothers and sisters. they opted to have him cremated and placed him next to my grandparents on the side. that alone the cemetery charged a 1000 bucks.

my parents just setup plans for their Funerals/Burials, lowest cost they could find was 9600.00 between them and they already had the plots, had them for about 20 years.

here is a list that compares prices i can't say how accuratethey are, just found them posted just now.



did you see that for just a simple plain service, they don't include casket, vault or any other service that are requiored to be burried?

originally posted by: FlyersFan

There is a company that can make stones out of human ashes. They put the ashes into some kind of high pressure machine and out pops gemstone like rocks. I think it would be awesome fun to have my husband and I together in one of those rocks and it can be passed down through the generations or something. Different and fun .... but too expensive to seriously do it. It's out of our budget.

Fascinating heirloom idea! My husband and I have agreed that cremation is the way to go. As soon as I seen your reply, my recycling crafty mind instantly thought of mixing the ashes into a mix of cement. One could form it into any mold, statuette or even a simple block. It could be a 'foundational family stone'. Then again, for those who get freaked out about paranormal stuff...this may be a scary movie artifact in the making! Lol.

Edit add: in regards to the OP's thread...I was actually amazed that this was even possible! The story states that the greased fat reached the rooftop. I always thought that the vent smokestack had some kind of safety screens within them to prevent larger particulates from being raised up by the heat?

Funerals and burials are an inflated cost, money maker. Catch people while their emotions are out of check to get more of their money. Another bonus is a never ending stream of customers.

It's going to be cremation for me. I don't want to take up any more space on this planet after my death, than I absolutely have to.

As for my ashes, my Wife and children are free to do with them as they wish. They can flush them if they like, I won't care either way,

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

I'm shocked burial would be so expensive in the US, where land value is so low. I had no idea. Considering wooden caskets are cheaper than maintaining cremation facilities, it is startling.

Here in Southern Europe, we make burial cheaper by burying caskets of the same family on top of each other. Is this done in the US?
I don't know, cremation feels so alien and quasi-pagan. Bring turned into jewellery or scattered as dust just feels so bizarre.

Perhaps Obama should distribute those menacingly black FEMA caskets at a subsidised price!

a reply to: alexball

Considering wooden caskets are cheaper than maintaining cremation facilities, it is startling.

Caskets are a big business. Not just a pine box anymore. Fancy metals and woods, much like furniture.

There are some stacked burials.

a reply to: alexball

here check this page out as ricky said caskets are big money. at the bottom of the page they are selling a cardboard casket for $195.00, and a cardboard box for cremation is $25.00

here's the page
Caskets

originally posted by: roadgravel
a reply to: alexball

Considering wooden caskets are cheaper than maintaining cremation facilities, it is startling.

Caskets are a big business. Not just a pine box anymore. Fancy metals and woods, much like furniture.

There are some stacked burials.

Local funeral home was charged for "stacked" burials. But those were stacked within the same casket and done by the mob. God bless the good old days and the Magadino and Gambino families. Eh gave me a chuckle anyway...

Yo mama's so fat that...oh never mind!

a reply to: hounddoghowlie

Hey cardboard casket I'm in. Just add some sharpie markers and fun for the whole family. Seriously what does it matter when in a few years time everything starts to breakdown anyway. I would be pissed if my family dropped a small fortune just to put me into the ground, just no cremation for me.

I guess there's a first time for everything, wow. So big, their body fat started a grease fire o.O

originally posted by: alexball
I cannot understand why people would want to get cremated, when you can just get buried instead.

Really? This is a difficult concept? Traditional burials cost a small fortune, and are IMO antiquated as hell. Neither my husband nor me want precious land wasted on us to rot in a plot, and we're not paying through the nose for it, either. It would sure be sweet if we could get over this interment fetish we have socially, that's a lot of land that could be used for everything from housing to growing food to public park spaces. I'd rather be burned up into ash & save a plot, personally. I'm dead at that point anyway -- what use does a plot serve me?

Think of it this way. I believe the number is that 1200 or so people are interred per acre on average in the US. Over 2.5 million Americans die annually on average now. Around 40% of people opt for cremation, so that leaves what, 1.5 million still seeking plots. That works out to around 1250 acres used for burial, not including surrounding landscaping at cemeteries. Every year. That adds up, especially with a growing population.
If someone has more patience than I do, try to find out the total number of known graves in American cemeteries, and do the math to come up with how much land is taken up that way. I've heard musings that the total acreage is equivalent to anywhere from the size of Massachusetts to South Carolina (5-some odd million acres to 19-some-odd million acres) I've spent the better part of the morning trying to figure out which number is closer to accurate, but am coming up dry. That info is surprisingly hard to find.

a reply to: jaynkeel

i've been trying to figure out a way to let the state bury me in a paupers grave. at least get a little of my money back they bleed from me.

a reply to: theyknowwhoyouare

You could not make headlines like this up CREMATORIUM GOES ON FIRE


Lucky it did not happen in the dead of night , oh the jokes you could make up from this headline , man burned in crematorium fire




thanks for the laugh

a reply to: alexball

There's also religious beliefs. Buddhists believe the body is merely a vessel. When you die, your soul has already moved on. When the soul's gone, why should the body be preserved?

a reply to: theyknowwhoyouare

This is the saddest and grossest story. I imagine this pour soul felt ashamed and horrified at his/her condition and probably had many dreams of getting down to the right size at some point. I'm sure they did wonder what their death and funeral service would be like if they were to weigh 500 at death and most likely felt some panic at the mere thought.

Who knows what this individual's issue was: mental health issue, the weight got so out of control they couldn't start a plan to lose it, perhaps they were addicted to food, maybe food was all they knew in this world. Maybe they didn't know the right way to eat - learning to eat food as fuel for the body takes research/time/interest. Not everyone is as educated about food being a tool (if I can use that word for this purpose) for one's body.

I think it's so sad to see these souls trapped in their immense bodies and they don't have a clue how to solve it.

However, what I will say, is I do not understand the people that are trapped in their beds. They are so large that they can't even get out of bed and need medical assistance. Why would their loved ones/caretaker go and purchase the type of diet that has contributed to this state? I guess the family members/etc also feel trapped and don't know how to help. But if your loved one isn't able to get out of bed and is getting bed sores and can't work they will either die without your help or they will eat what you bring them. Yeah, it's a muddled mess and I have never been in that situation so can only guess, but not judge. I try to understand it but I think it's that people just don't know what to do.

I don't know that they even make caskets that large. And how would you lower the body into the ground? I don't know if there is a weight limit on the mechanism that lowers the body into the ground. You would need more than the usual pallbearers.

As for funerals, the average cost is $10,000 here in Canada for a funeral. Some funeral plots have space for two people to be buried on top of each other. But most plots are sold a single plots. I don't know that you could bury a loved one atop an already buried person. I imagine if you had enough money it could be done but that would mean digging up the original casket/liner and redoing everything which would be probably more than buying a single new plot. And so you have the cost of a casket which range from cardboard, plywood, to oak with brass handles. You can even purchase your own funeral casket from Costco, or buy an environmental type like a wicker casket or a basket type. They even sell body blanket/shawl type ones now. You also have the cost of the embalming, makeup, the transportation fee of the body to the funeral home. Then do you want a service? You can pay for the church, the minister, luncheon after, flowers. Do you want a crypt? Well then maybe you want a little flower holder, and a name plaque, maybe a permanent little marker or symbol. If you don't want a crypt then do you want a plot? You have to buy the liner that the casket sits within. Did you want a marker? Is it going to be something small, stone or some elaborate engraved headstone. Now, do you want a flower vase to go with it? The words and image will cost on the headstone. Don't forget about the hearse to the gravesite. If you want a simple cremation then it's on an average about $700 to $900. You collect the ashes after in a cardboard box. Or you can arrange to purchase an urn (or maybe bring your own urn) for the ashes when you go to collect the ashes.

If you want a plot and a funeral I would advise going to a funeral home and buying a pre-bought plan. This means that maybe it takes you 30 years to die but the funeral home will be held accountable to honour whatever you pre-purchased. If your family decides to maybe give you a nicer casket than the one you had bought then they can pay the difference. Etc.

Don't forget: do you want an obit in the paper? Depending on the newspaper it can cost you as little as $70 for maybe 5 lines of print. All the way up to thousands. Depends on what you want to say. An obit is nice as it is then historical document for future generations.

Also be aware that you yourself can transport your loved one's body to the funeral home. You just need a sturdy container to move the body in. And you can bury your loved one yourself. All you would be paying for is the death certificate. Maybe one or two more tiny details. All deaths must be noted by a coroner.

You also need permission to scatter ashes at a lake or private place. Some don't bother but you can't just jump in the car and go scatter Mom's ashes at the local beach on a whim.

Some beliefs insist on no cremation. With Jewish deaths the body must be buried within 3 days. There is usually a get together at the gravesite at a later time when the headstone is placed on the site. And this allows the family to come together when due to the quick funeral some might not make it due to work, etc.

If anyone finds themselves going to a funeral home PLEASE be aware that you are most likely in shock/emotional and you are extremely vulnerable. You have the right to question all that a funeral home is offering you. If they are going to put in an obit for you proof it over to ensure it is as you want it to be. This is a piece of history, not just a mention of your loved one. A lot of people use obituaries as historical proof for genealogy, etc. Also find out the price for everything before you agree to it. Do not trust anyone, as reputable as they may be, with your credit card. You are not coping on all gears and it is so easy to just think of your loved one being gone from your life and this is where too many people make rash decisions that they regret later once the grieving starts, or has finished. Don't be taken advantage of based on emotions. Always, always, always find out what it will cost before you give the go-ahead.

Thought I'd put that together for those who had questions.