Body found in St. Paul garage destroyed by fire

A body was recovered early Thursday from a garage destroyed by fire behind a vacant home in St. Paul.

The blaze brought firefighters shortly after 4 a.m. to the 700 block of Jenks Avenue, the Fire Department said in a statement.

The victim was declared dead at the scene.

Their identity was not determined. An autopsy was scheduled for Thursday.

"If the autopsy determines the cause of death to be a fire fatality, this would be the city's second fire fatality of 2023," the statement read.

Fire Deputy Chief Roy Mokosso said the garage belongs to a vacant home that is being remodeled. He said area residents have reported a recent uptick in thefts. The property owner told authorities that they had stopped repairing the garage's lock after several break-ins in recent weeks.

Mokosso said such break-ins are more common this time of year as unsheltered people seek warmth.

"Nobody should be using a garage or a shed for a permanent sleeping structure or living area," Mokosso said. "They don't have the fire protection. They don't have working smoke detectors. They're not designed for living, and so in situations like that fatalities and significant injuries can occur."

The fire leveled the garage and significantly damaged surrounding structures. The smell of burned wood and plastic was still pungent Thursday afternoon. Smoke rose from the garage's smoldering wood. Two city trashcans were nearly melted by the fire, which also scorched away metal from a nearby trailer.