Brotherhood of the exploding pants.

Once in a while we come across a story and then just stare at each other in disbelief. So when we found out about New Zealand’s exploding trousers epidemic it was sort of stunned silence.
But yes, New Zealand did have an epidemic of exploding trousers, it was a real thing.
In the 1930’s farmers began complaining about their trousers bursting into flames. It turned out there was a very specific cause and it had to do with ragwort. Ragwort is a common weed that grows all over the place. It was also poisonous to livestock.
So the Government recommended that a particular weedkiller was used - sodium chlorate. As the farmers were spraying around their land, the weedkiller was getting on their clothes.
With most trousers being wool or cotton - it was reacting with the organic fibres.
Exposed to heat - like bright sunlight - or naked flames the trousers were seen smoking and even actually burning.
At least one person ended up needing treatment for burns from their trousers.
A Mr Charles Price from Oakura ended up in hospital suffering burns to his legs and hands.
It prompted the chief chemist of the department of agriculture to write a report that ended up in the Journal of Agriculture warning about it and saying waterproof clothing should be worn if using the weedkiller.
Hard as it is to believe, it was taken seriously and Massey University’s James Watson wrote an article entitled The Significance of Mr Richard Buckley’s Exploding Trousers in 2004.
Richard Buckley, a farmer in the Taranaki had been drying his trousers before a fire when they loudly exploded. He was able to grab them and hurl them from the house preventing any further damage.
Now, for those who say oh come on, this can’t be real, well Mythbusters took on the challenge - and confirmed that cotton overalls could indeed ignite given various factors!
As for Richard Buckley - he went on to farm for many more years and died at the age of 79 on February 19, 1947, and was buried in Hawera Cemetery.​