Victim of Boxcar Fire Identified by Police
A man whose body was found inside a burning boxcar was identified Tuesday as William Alfred Johnson, 52, a transient who apparently was living in the abandoned rail car.
Firefighters found Johnson, who previously lived in Anaheim, in the car near Bristol Lane and Glassell Street about 7 a.m. Monday after putting out a small blaze. Investigators said he had locked himself inside and couldn’t escape the fire. Officers found a mattress and other belongings inside, indicating that he had been living there.
Another transient who knows Johnson told police that Johnson had been drinking and smoking, which might have caused the fire.
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