WINONA, Minn. – A semi-truck trailer burned up in a backlot where abandoned vehicles have been stored for years on the West Side. Not much was left. Because charred remnants possibly of a mattress or couch were inside, police surmised that the trailer may have been a refuge for a homeless person. No personal effects survived, however. No one was around when police arrived about 3:50 a.m. Firefighters put out the fire, which didn’t spread to other junked commercial vehicles on the lot. There was no mmediate evidence of an accelerant, firefighters said. There was was a possibility the state fire marshal would be asked to check further. The lot is somewhat obscured by trees and self-storage units off West Third and Ewig streets near the trackside Watkins distribution center.
