Austrian crematorium officials have blamed a deceased woman's obesity for causing a fire that had to be tackled by fire fighters. Firemen in the southern city of Graz got covered in thick sticky soot as they tried to stop the blaze from taking hold of the building.

The case has been widely reported in Austrian media and has ignited calls for a weight limit on bodies to protect against future fires. Some countries such as Switzerland and the UK already have facilities, which cater for extra large bodies, in line with the growing trend of expanding waistlines.

Funeral director Christea Bogdan, of Gillman Undertakers, Tooting, south London, said he had never before in his career heard of such an event. "I have never come across such a case,' the Daily Mail quoted him as saying. An expert report on the Austria fire has revealed that the woman being cremated weighed more than 200kg and her size had caused the oven to overheat.

The press reports state that the filter temperature reached 300C and officials realised there was a problem when thick black smoke started billowing into the building.