What does soot in lungs during autopsy indicate?

• A. They died before the fire began
• B. They were still alive and conscious during the fire
• C. They inhaled smoke after escape
• D. The fire had no effect on them

Answer: (B)

Soot in the lungs from an autopsy shows that smoke inhalation occurred while the person was still alive and breathing. Once someone is dead, there’s no airflow to draw in smoke, so soot wouldn’t accumulate in the lungs. Therefore, finding soot indicates the fire affected the person while they were alive, meaning they were still in a living state during exposure to the smoke. This makes the interpretation that they were still alive during the fire the best fit.