Hackler Home Fires (AKA The Odon Fires)

Picture generated by AI
Location: Odon, Indiana, United States of America
Dates Active: June 21, 1940
Category: Curse, Haunting, Poltergeist, Spontaneous Combustion
Cause: Unknown
Status: Closed
Entry ID: 010624A-00002

Summery: 

Hundreds of witnesses watch spontaneous fires sprout all over a family's home with no explanation as to the cause.

In Depth:

The Hackler family home has 28 individual fires break out in their home, all of them within a single 24 hour period. Many of these fires occurred in separate rooms at different times, sometimes igniting right in front of witnesses ranging from curious neighbors to firefighters. Every fire only burned a single item, with no visible damage to surrounding objects or the rest of the house.

The first fire started sometime after 8:00am on June 21, 1940, when a strip of wallpaper in an upstairs bedroom suddenly caught fire. There was no damage to the wall or surrounding furniture, and no source of the fire was immediately found. The fire department was called, but they could not find the source of the fire either. When the home was given the all clear, the firefighters left.

It was then a second fire was found on inside of a mattress in another upstairs bedroom. The firefighters returned to extinguish that fire, and the fire had only been out a few moments when a third fire ignited on a pair of Mr. Hackler's coveralls that were hanging behind a door.

Then yet another fire started inside the pages of a book, followed by another fire on the opposite side of the house. Two pairs of curtains in the same room suddenly burst into flames. More and more fires continued to appear until around 11:00pm they finally just stopped.

Afraid to sleep in the house in case another fire possibly breaking out, the Hacklers moved all of the remaining beds outside and slept under the stars. When the fires did not return, the family tore down the house and rebuilt it elsewhere, with no further fires afterward.

Damage from the fires, as strange as they were, were covered by Traveler's insurance, and the story of the Hackler's home fires were even used in advertisements. However, to this day no one has come forth with a convincing theory explain the events.

Notable Theories:

While the mystery of the fires and what started them remain unsolved, that doesn't stop people from coming up with theories. Below are just a few:

  • Electrical Fires (Disproved): The firefighters at the time noted that the house was not wired for electricity. Even if it was, that doesn't explain how the fires started in many of the locations or how they only burned single items.
  • Hidden Chimney (Disproved): Firefighters also checked inside the walls to look for hidden chimneys, which could have sparked a fire if embers managed to find a hole or, in theory, warmed the bricks past where they could handle the heat. No chimneys were found and, seeing as it was a nice day in June, no fires had been lit in existing fireplace.
  • Electrically Charged Lightning Rod and Nails (Disproved): One theory was put forth that the house's lightning rods had somehow managed to hold onto a charge and pass it along to nails within the house. Metal items within the house became hot from the electrical charge, igniting the fires in various locations. However, lightning rods cannot hold onto a charge, even if the rods are not installed correctly. Any such fire started from an improperly installed lightning rod would have caused instant, significant damage to the house. Also, no records of any other fire being started this way has ever been recorded.
  • Unknown Flammable Substances: Some proposed that either some sort of flammable gas or glues had somehow entered the home and ignited. The problem with this theory is that while flammable substances could account for the ease of the fires starting, it does not factor in any sort of possible means of ignition.
  • Strong Magnetic Fields: The idea of magnets starting a fire is a strange one, especially since magnetic fields by themselves cannot start fires or affect them. That said, they can affect objects made from iron or other magnetic materials, and could potentially move them enough to create a significant amount of heat. However, no magnetic field outside of lab conditions could cause such a reaction.
  • Haunting: The Hackler family home had once belonged to another family, known as the Ketchums. This family lived in the house during the 1880s, and five of the family members died of what people referred to as a "burning fever." That tragedy has been more recently proposed as having some sort of connection. Perhaps the restless spirits of Ketchum family decided to go on a one-day ignite-a-thon?
  • Poltergeist: Similar to the previous theory, the idea of a poltergeist in the home has been brought up in some circles. This type of noisy spirit has been known to start fires without any explanation before, however no other activity had been reported in the house prior.
  • Curse: Some neighbors thought that the house could have somehow been cursed, resulting the fires. Who could have placed the curse on the house or why they would have wanted to curse the home is not known, and there's really no way to prove it either way.

External Links (Last Checked January 25, 2024):

Related Entries and Connections:

Last Update: April 15, 2024

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Flix (AKA the Conser Lake Monster)

Image
Picture generated with AI Location: Millersburg, Oregon, United States of America Dates Active: 1959 Category: Cryptids, Extraterrestrials, Monsters Cause: Unknown, possibly extraterrestrial Status: Closed Entry ID: 010724G-00012 Summery:   The sighting of large white-haired creature starts a local monster hunt around Albany, Oregon; a psychic claims to have spoken to the creature telepathically. In Depth: In 1959 several local boys heading out into the woods encounter a large, white, hairy, ape-like creature near Conser Lake, with cat-like ears and webbed feet. The boys immediately report their story to their parents, who in turn report the sighting to local authorities. The story breaks out into national news, and monster hunters begin showing up in droves in order to capture and/or kill the supposed monster. For months people had brief encounters with the creature, including a man who claimed that the creature was able to keep up with his pickup truck at 35 miles per hour ...
Read more

The Bells of Lyonesse

Image
Picture generated with AI Location: Somewhere off the coast of Cornwall, England, United Kingdom Dates Active: 1089 or 1099 Category: Lost Lands and Ruins, Mysterious Sounds Cause: Arthurian Legend; Tsunami or Earthquake Status: Closed Entry ID: 022424B-00071 Summery:   At the supposed location of an island nation that was destroyed in a great catastrophe the sound of church bells can sometimes be heard. In Depth: The lost island known as Lyonesse was supposedly located just off the coast of Cornwall, England, and was home of Tristan of Arthurian legend. It suddenly sunk underneath the water in a great catastrophe, either an earthquake or tidal wave,  with the sole survivor of the disaster escaping on a horse that had thrown a horseshoe. Legend has it that if you sail near the location of where Lyonesse used to reside, you can hear the sound of church bells ringing. Related Entries and Connections : Connections: Lost Lands and Ruins Connections: Mysterious Sounds   ...
Read more

Mokèlé-mbèmbé

Image
Picture generated with AI Location: Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of Congo, Cameroon, Gabon Dates Active: 1900s to Present Category: Cryptids Cause: Unknown Status: Ongoing Entry ID: 022424D-00073 Summery:   Explorers encounter a local legend of a giant creature that is large enough to block rivers. In Depth: Mokèlé-mbèmbé is the name given to a cryptid that supposedly resides in the Congo River Basin, which closely resembles the popular depictions of ancient sauropods, but could be another animal altogether. Descriptions of the creature mainly come from German explorers who wrote down the descriptions given by locals in 1907. It was said to be approximately the size of a large elephant with brownish-gray, smooth skin, with a long flexible neck, a single large tooth or horn, and a large tail like an alligator. The creature was further described as liking to live in the water and said to have an entirely vegetable diet, such as leaves and fruits. It was also easily...
Read more