Body found near burning truck at Carman self-storage facility

A male’s death has been deemed suspicious after his body was found near a burning pickup truck at a self-storage compound in a southern Manitoba town early Monday morning.

RCMP officers and firefighters were called to a report of a vehicle fire in Carman shortly after 1 a.m.

The vehicle was engulfed in flames when emergency services personnel arrived at the storage facility on 2nd Street Northeast, police said in a news release.

The body was found near the burning vehicle, RCMP said. Police have not said if the male was an adult or youth.

“We won’t confirm the victim’s age until the body has been positively identified,” RCMP spokesman Kevin Engstrom wrote in an email.

Police did not release any additional information. The death is being investigated by the RCMP’s major crime services.

The truck was on fire close to a row of storage units, which sustained damage.

Investigators placed yellow evidence markers on the ground around the vehicle’s burned-out shell. Yellow police tape was put up around part of the compound.

A woman who identified herself as an owner of Bring-N-Lock Self Storage said she was waiting for investigators to arrive at the facility as of late Monday morning. She declined to comment before speaking to police.

“I don’t want to hinder any type of investigation,” said the woman, who declined to give her name.

She later said she had no comment, after speaking to police.

Located in an industrial area, Bring-N-Lock Self Storage has climate-controlled storage units and space for boats, RVs and other large vehicles.

Customers can access their storage units daily between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m., the company’s website said.

The site’s security measures include a tall chain-link fence with wire strung across the top.

The fire had spread from a pickup truck to an adjacent storage locker building when crews arrived, said Carman Dufferin Fire Department Chief Chris Lemky.

Firefighters from Elm Creek and St. Claude also responded to help Carman Dufferin crews battle the blaze. The fire was brought under control by about 3 a.m.

“Firefighters then worked tirelessly to access all areas of the building and salvage contents,” Carman Dufferin Fire Department said in a statement on social media.

The scene was then turned over to RCMP for their investigation into the male’s death.

Carman is about 70 kilometres southwest of Winnipeg. The town had about 3,200 residents as of the 2021 census.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca