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How can a pepper plant spontaneously combust and start a fire? Ciscoe Morris takes a stab at the mystery. (Jason Adams)

Ciscoe Morris: Can a pepper plant spontaneously combust?

BY Stephanie Klein  on July 22, 2011 @ 10:35 pm (Updated: 8:23 pm - 10/9/12 )

A hot little pepper has stumped gardening guru Ciscoe Morris.

Firefighters responded to a fire that John Curley's brother-in-law, Jason Adams, says started in his three-inch pepper pot placed in his garage.

"It's totally impossible that this pepper burst into flames," said Morris.

But Adams defends what he saw.

"It started 10 seconds before I opened the door because it didn't even touch the wall yet. The Styrofoam that was on fire was inches from the wall, but all the wall damage was the smoke marks," he said.

Adams quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and put out the fire.

The firefighters pointed to the smoldering pot with a destroyed habanero seedling as the source of the fire.

"They were thinking there was some sort of pressure or some change in there that caused it to heat up to the point where it just spontaneously combusted," said Adams.

"I've eaten habaneros that are so hot that it actually singed that geezer hair right out of my ears," said Morris.

Joking aside, Morris said it takes a lot more than a three-inch pot full of compost to combust; it's more like a three-foot container that's needed to generate enough heat.

Grow lights are often dangerously positioned too close to plants and flammables, but Adams said his was hanging 10-feet high.

Morris said the story sounds like something from the Twilight Zone, but maybe Adams is correct about too much pressure in the little pot made of cow manure.

"You might be saving millions of people from burning their garages up," joked Morris.

Stephanie Klein, MyNorthwest.com Editor
Stephanie joined the MyNorthwest.com team in February 2008. She has built the site into a two-time National Edward R. Murrow Award winner (Best Radio Website 2010, 2012).
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Comments (5)


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  • Champion wrote...
    Spontaneous combustion
    July 23, 2011 8:19 am
    Early one Sunday morning in July of 1970 I was awakened by a call from a neighbor informing me that smoke was coming out of my garden shed. Taking a garden hose to the shed I was surprised to find a new bag of peat moss in flame. Only the the peat moss. Nothing else. Everyone knows a compost pile will get hot inside even if the weather is cool outside.It just takes the right components at the right time. wayne
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  • Rick (4) wrote...
    I agree
    July 23, 2011 9:59 am
    Probably too much organic matter in the pot decomposing is the cause of the fire. Sorry, but a pepper plant even a hot one will not do this. Pepper heat has nothing to do with real heat.
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  • messiah101 wrote...
    Why was the Fire Dept called?
    July 23, 2011 11:50 am
    Why
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  • Jake The Snail wrote...
    Interesting
    July 24, 2011 4:12 am
    While in college i had a neighbor come to the door, and politely tell me that a burn ban was in place. I told the neighbor thanks for the info but i don't burn anything. To which he replied there is smoke coming from the backyard. Sure enough the compost pile had lit on fire. Easy to put out, but surprising nonetheless.
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  • Jake The Snail wrote...
    Thats what i call a hot pepper
    July 24, 2011 4:17 am
    I like the stories, It doesn't make sense about the pepper plant though, since it should not of been generating the heat needed for combustion. Few things to consider: Is there anything near by that could of helped the fire start, mirrors, energy efficient windows, a someone who smokes? Very neat story
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