Carboxyhemoglobin Concentrations in Flash Fire Victims: Report of Six Simultaneous Fire Fatalities without Elevated Carboxyhemoglobin

Abstract

Hirsch, Charles S., Bost, Robert O., Gerber, Samuel R., Cowan, Mary E., Adelson, Lester, and Sunshine, Irving: Carboxyhemoglobin concentrations in flash fire victims. Report of six simultaneous flash fire fatalities without elevated carboxyhemoglobin. Eight people died in a traffic accident involving a tractor-trailer and ten autos. The accident caused a series of flash fires from ruptured gas tanks. Complete autopsies established that six of the victims died exclusively from thermal trauma; none showed an elevated blood carboxyhemoglobin concentration. Flash fire victims are exceptions to the axiom that elevation of blood carboxyhemoglobin is a sine qua non for concluding that a decedent recovered from the scene of a conflagration was alive in the fire.