Funeral director 'myth busts' after showing what really happens to a coffin in a crematorium

It’s one of life’s great questions isn’t it: what happens when you die?

The Ancient Greeks used to think you’d go to the Elysium Fields if you were a hero, or the depths of Tartarus if your soul was regarded as ‘unjust’ or ‘perjured’ by the God of the Underworld, Hades.

These days, those who practice various religions have their own thoughts on the afterlife—some claim we’re reborn into the body of an animal, while others believe there’s nothing on the other side.

What we do know though is what physically happens to our bodies when we die: they decompose. According to Live Science, a body buried in the ground within a coffin takes around a year to start decomposing.

Meanwhile, if you choose to be cremated - the process of burning a deceased person’s body to ashes - it’s a lot quicker. It’s thought the cremation process takes between one and three hours to complete. Then, a further one or two hours will be spent cooling the ashes down, say experts at Funeral Partners.

Cremation can be a pretty puzzling, which means there’s a whole lot of myths attached to the process.

One of which is that the deceased’s body is lit on fire.

According to funeral director Simon Savage, this is not what happens at all when a coffin arrives at a crematorium.

Savage, who has over a decade of experience, serves as both owner and manager of Otter Valley Funerals, an independent, family-run funeral director providing the communities of Budleigh, Exmouth, and the surrounding areas with ‘exceptional care at their time of need'.

In a video uploaded to TikTok earlier this week, the expert explained that they would be showing how a coffin is charged into a cremator, in the hopes it would ‘myth bust’.

“This is something I said I would do so people could see a single creation chamber.”

Savage explained that the coffin featured in the video did have the remains of a deceased person in it and that he had gained permission to film the event.

Following his introduction, the video panned to a wood coffin with gold detailing, sitting on a slab of metal.

In the background, the retort door - also known as the cremation chamber door - opened up to show a single, cremation chamber with no flames in sight.

The coffin was then charged (pushed) into the space via an automatic paddle-like device, which exited the chamber before the retort door clamped shut.

According to DFW Europe, the average temperature of a cremation furnace is between 1000 and 1300 degrees Celsius.

“It’s as simple as that,” Savage continued. “I hope that answers a lot of questions.”

The no-nonsense clip has already racked up more than 719,000 views and over 1,400 comments from curious TikTok users.

“What does it look like ‘finished’? When the door reopens?” commented one viewer.

In response, the Otter Valley Funerals account wrote: “Without being crass it’s just a pile of bones.”

“You definitely do one last check to check the person inside is definitely deceased? (An irrational fear I have),” remarked someone else.

“The funeral director will do one last check before the coffin is closed to ensure the ID bracelet matches the nameplate on the coffin,” they replied. “The crematorium then trust the nameplate.”

A third user queried whether or not a body could enter the cremation chamber without lying in a coffin.

They said: “hi can a body go in without the coffin I only want my husband back not the ashes if the coffin and plastic thank you.”

Otter Valley Funerals said: “The absolute minimum requirement would be a shroud on a charging board.

“The ashes are 98% calcium(bone) as the rest burns away to nothing at such a high temperature and the metal is removed after.”

Well, at least now you know, right?