Authorities in Winona are investigating a fatal fire at a duplex that claimed the life of a 33-year-old man. Just after 4 a.m. Wednesday, officers were called to a duplex on the 550 block of E. 3rd St. after receiving reports about a possible fire there.
When they arrived, heavy smoke was coming from the upstairs window of the duplex, and crews from the Winona Fire Department were called in to assist. A person living on the first floor of the duplex told police one person was still inside the upstairs apartment.
When they tried to break through the front door, officers were not able to get it open more than a few inches, discovering it was barricaded from the inside with stacked household items and furniture. Fire crews were eventually able to make it into the apartment through a second-story window, and located an unresponsive 33-year-old man who was later pronounced dead at the scene.
