Eli5 How do people die from from burns? The fire can be out, the person can conscious, and there skin can appear to have no bruising or blood loss. How do they die in the hospital days later?

Question

There is a video I saw of two guys being set on fire in a fight where one has his flames extinguished within seconds of being lit but succumbed to the burns months later. How? Being that perhaps the first layer of skin is now literally burned off what leads to the person passing even though they were perfectly awake The whole time with no stab wounds, broken bones, etc. ?

In: Biology

Answer 1

Infection usually. Your skin is the main barrier to outside pathogens. Once it (or layers of it) are removed, opportunistic infections are pretty close behind.