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Item #: SCP-4440
Object Class: Keter
Special Containment Procedures: Throughout the month of July, villages deemed most likely to host an instance of SCP-4440 are to be evacuated under the cover of a nearby oil spill contaminating the soil and subsequently occupied by members of MTF Epsilon-6 (”Village Idiots”) and no less than 20 D-class of Slavic or German descent and raised in a Christian faith (preferably Lutheran, Roman Catholic, or Eastern Orthodox) each. The D-class are to occupy a single building, preferably a barn, at all times, and are to do so until an instance of SCP-4440 occurs, at which point it will be allowed to proceed to completion. Under no circumstances are any members of MTF Epsilon-6 to congregate indoors in numbers greater than 10 for any length of time, including with the D-class. Should an instance of SCP-4440 occur, residents may return to their homes and all SCP personnel are to depart.
Discovery: SCP-4440 was discovered by the Foundation amid an unusually high incidence of unsolved arson cases in rural areas and rumors of ghosts and demons being responsible. Upon dispatchment of containment teams to the surrounding area, an instance was observed in the town of ██████. Three years after discovery, a single member of the containment team was within the church where it materialized, but was not killed (see Addendum 4440.2)
Description: SCP-4440 is a phenomenon affecting villages in Poland of fewer than 4000 people, occurring most commonly in █████████ Province, with especially high frequency in areas closest to ████████, although it never takes place within ████████ itself. First noted beginning in 19██, SCP-4440 has been responsible for up to [DATA EXPUNGED] deaths since its discovery. SCP-4440 occurs only in the month of July, most commonly around July 1█.
The phenomenon will only take place if residents gather within a single building in a group of at least 10, observed most often in barns. After an unspecified period of time, a fire will spontaneously start around one or more entrances. Once this happens, all people within the structure are designated SCP-4440-A and will invariably die of the effects of SCP-4440. While the fire is itself non-anomalous aside from its ignition and the building’s doors and windows can be broken down as normal, instances of SCP-4440-A will not attempt to escape and will flee attempts at rescue, detailed below.
Instances of SCP-4440-A appear incapable of exiting the affected structure of their own volition, rattling doorknobs and banging on doors as though they are locked, despite that not being the case. They also respond to Foundation Personnel or any other rescuers with extreme fear, often yelling "nie strzelaj" (don’t shoot) while attempting to hide. If removed, instances will demonstrate symptoms of smoke inhalation, increasing in severity until death. Administration of oxygen or other treatments will not relieve symptoms, but interviews can be conducted before death. See Addendum 4440.1 for more details.
Addendum 4440.1: Interview Log
Addendum 4440.2: 07/1█/1995 Incident
A member of MTF Epsilon-6 assigned to awaiting an instance of SCP-4440 (Allison Berkowicz) was mistakenly ordered to reside in the same building as the D-class, but was unaffected by the memetic phenomena normally accompanying the SCP, and was able to exit the building as normal upon detecting the fire.
Berkowicz expressed no understanding as to why she was immune to SCP-4440, but subsequent experiments involving D-class revealed that SCP-4440 rarely if ever affects individuals raised in a faith other than Christianity, particularly [DATA EXPUNGED], inspiring changes in the containment procedure.
