COLUMBUS, Ohio – Columbus fire officials say a homeless person trying to keep warm was burned to death after a small heater exploded inside a tent in a homeless encampment on the North Side.
Firefighters found the body around 9:20 p.m. Wednesday after responding to a report of an explosion at 34 Lincoln Street, not far from the I-670 overpass in the city’s Italian Village neighborhood. Some homeless people camp in a wooded area there.
The victim was using a type of propane canister to keep warm in the 19-degree weather, Battalion Chief Rich Richardson said.
It appears that a man was killed but Richardson says the body was so badly burned authorities are unsure of the gender.
The coordinator of an outreach center is trying to help identify the victim.