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[–] Memorexem 0 points 5 points (+5|-0) ago 

It depends on the severity of the burns. If you've got 3rd degree burns on 75% of your body, you're so likely to die from infection it's just not even funny.

Complete immolation, like those Buddhist monks, is just a bad way to go. First, the unimaginable pain will put you into shock almost immediately. Next, lack of air will cause you to pass out in seconds not minutes. At that point, with your body on autopilot, you'll take an involuntary breath. Of several hundred degree air. This air sears your esophagus and lungs, causing them to immediately blister and try to swell shut, and further prevents any oxygen from reaching your blood. That hardly matters, you're nothing but an exothermic corpse at this point, because your shock ridden body is shutting you down.

So. Asphyxiation. Technically.

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[–] Ah_Pook 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago 

Almost immediate sounds like a good way to go!

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[–] Memorexem 0 points 3 points (+3|-0) ago 

Well, I mean, compared to what's going to happen... Yeah. Hell yeah. But it's still almost immediate.

Have you ever burnt yourself on a stove? Now imagine that not stopping. And it's your everywhere burning. For like 15-30s. That would feel like a fucking eternity, and I would rather take a gun. Personally. I cooked for too many years to go out like that. Lol

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[–] 5175541? ago 

Burning to death is probably the way to go I fear the most, although having seen several family members and people at work die from cancer I'd actually lean towards saying cancer (dependant on the type and other factors).

Are you sure that the lack of oxygen will make people pass out in seconds? From the videos I've seen on Liveleak people seemed pretty awake to me

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[–] Memorexem 0 points 1 point (+1|-0) ago  (edited ago)

Yeah, burning is just bad all around.

How quickly you're going to pass out is probably dependant on some factors too. The guys on liveleak do it like the monks, and just pour gas on themselves while sitting, or were they all running around screaming? If you've got that adrenaline going, and manage to take a solid breath before the air heats up...? Meh. Until it reaches your airway, you'll be just burnt. You could run a long way, until the fire catches up with you.

I bet you could try, really try, to stay conscious (but 99% of us in just severe shock and witless) for awhile when you're catching fire, but once you're actually covered and burning... Yeah, I'm gonna say you've got like 30s. Maybe a bit more if you manage to catch a lungful before you're crispy. But at complete immolation... Wouldn't it kinda be better to just check out?

Edit - I just wanna clarify the difference between conscious and awake. You can be a vegetable and be awake. Consciousness is being aware of and responding to stuff around you. If you're just on fire and running amok in shock, I'd say you very much could be awake yet not conscious.