A homeless man, trapped inside a burning trailer, died early Friday morning in the West End, Cincinnati fire investigators said.
Cincinnati fire crews were called to the 500 block of Findlay Street just after midnight when they found a trailer on fire, firefighters said. After extinguishing the blaze, fire investigators found the man's body.
He was later identified as Alvin Wendell Smith, 51, with a last known address a homeless shelter, according to the Hamilton County Coroners office.
It appears Mr. Smith was seeking shelter inside the trailer at the time. He was trapped in the front of the 40-foot trailer, and unable to escape, firefighters said. A passer-by told fire crews three people were known to use the trailer and sometimes stayed there.
The cause of the one-alarm blaze is undetermined.
The fire caused an estimated $500 damage to the trailer, fire investigators said. The trailer had apparently been converted to a construction office.
