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St. Paul News
Andrew Krueger

St. Paul fire officials warn of ‘death traps’ after second fatal garage fire this month

The charred wreckage of a garage after a fire
A person died when a garage caught fire at a property on Mayre Street in St. Paul's North End neighborhood on Wednesday night. This photo of the fire scene was taken on Thursday.
Courtesy of the St. Paul Fire Department

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St. Paul fire officials say the community needs to take action to prevent further tragedies, after the second fatal fire this month involving people living in garages.

The latest happened Wednesday night in the city’s North End neighborhood. Crews responding to the fire just before 9:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of Mayre Street found a detached garage fully engulfed in flames.

Firefighters later found a person dead inside. They also found a hot plate and portable heater, and the tenant of the property said he allowed an unsheltered person access to the garage to stay warm.

The name of the person who died has not been released. The fire has been ruled accidental.

Earlier this month, two people living in a garage on the 1800 block of Sims Avenue on St. Paul’s East Side died when that structure burned. Authorities said they believe that fire on Feb. 9 started when a space heater was accidentally knocked over and that the flames blocked the only exit, trapping the two men inside.

The St. Paul Fire Department said garages are not designed for living.

“They lack the proper heating, smoke/CO alarms, and safe exits — making them a death trap,” the department said in a statement Thursday. “We as a community must take action to prevent these tragic fire deaths.”

In its statement, the department added that “no one should lose their life trying to stay warm.”