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A pryroclastc flow is a high velocity thrust of hot, noxious gases (up to 1000⁰C). Citizens of Herc didn't have time to escape once the flow approached. It killed them on the spot by frying their lungs. They weren't buried immediately, hence had time to decompose slowly,thus leaving behind skeletons....BUT..the flash point of wood is in the 250-400⁰C range, so it must have been a so-called "cold pryroclastc flow" (gas temp "only" 250⁰C). As we've discussed here before, most Pompeians had some warning and were able to escape. Those that stayed were eventually inundated by the heavy rain of volcanic dust, probably suffocating as they were buried alive. Those bodies decayed more slowly and left hollows in the ash probably harded by eventual rainfall. The chart in Guy's first post is a little misleading. It implies there were no skeletons at Pompeii. There were, but they're inside the hollows/casts.