1 person found dead in St. Paul garage fire

The St. Paul Fire Department says a person was found dead inside a garage fire late Wednesday.

Fire crews were sent to a detached garage fire around 9:30 p.m. on the 1400 block of Mayre Street.

The garage was completely engulfed, according to the fire department, who said they needed multiple hoses to extinguish the fire.

While searching the garage, the fire department says they came across a body inside. The person’s identity will be determined by the Medical Examiner’s Office.

In a later update Thursday, the St. Paul Fire Department announced the Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death as a fire fatality.

An investigation by fire officials ruled the fire as accidental, with firefighters finding a two-burner electric hot plate with food in it and an electric portable heater inside the garage.

The tenant was interviewed and said he let an unsheltered man stay in his garage to stay warm, according to the fire department.

Fire officials say the city normally averages two to three fire deaths a year, but so far in 2025, the bodies of three people have been found during a fire response. Earlier this month, firefighters found the bodies of 63-year-old Frank Allen Piele and 39-year-old David John Orlando while responding to a garage fire on the 1800 block of Sims Avenue. An initial investigation indicated the cause of that fire was a space heater that had been knocked over.

Authorities add that all three fire fatalities this year occurred when someone was looking for shelter in a garage.