Spontaneous combustion

last updated 8 January 2015

Canneto di Caronia, Italy

A tiny village in Sicily has been evacuated because fires are mysteriously flaring up all over. For the past several weeks, all 39 residents of Canneto di Caronia have been staying in hotels or with friends in neighboring villages, as investigators hunt for the cause of the blazes. Fuse boxes, microwave ovens, and air conditioners continue to burst into flames, even though electricity to the town has been shut off. Firefighters have ruled out arson and are completely stumped. Scientists, engineers, and paranormal investigators are now combing the village for clues. “I’ve seen things like this before,” Gabriele Amorth, an exorcist with the Catholic Church, told Rome’s Il Messaggero. “Demons occupy a house and appear in electrical goods.”