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Colleagues of the recently retired Zappos founder, who died days after being rescued from a fire in New London, Connecticut, fear his alleged habitual intake of nitrous oxide and alcohol could have fueled a recent report, according to a recent report. fire or prevent it from escaping. .
Tony Hsieh, 46, reportedly liked to drink Gray Goose vodka, inhale nitrous oxide laughing gas – also known as “whippets” – and light candles, which has led colleagues to wonder if one of those things played a role in the circumstances surrounding the fire, the Daily Courrier reported.
“In recent months, nitrous oxide had become as important to Tony as his alcohol,” said a colleague, who was not identified in the report. “And Gray Goose vodka was his best friend.
Megan Fazio, a spokesperson for Hsieh and its DTP companies, said Wednesday that she does not generally comment on Hsieh’s personal affairs, but added: “You will notice that the positivities are attributed to a source while the speculative comments remain anonymous. “
“It is speculative and unwise to comment on the potential cause of what has been ruled an accident in an ongoing investigation,” Fazio said in an email to Fox News. Perhaps these anonymous sources should consider doing the latter, especially as family and friends mourn the loss of a visionary, mentor and friend. The facts remain, comments unfounded and speculations from anonymous sources will continue to evoke a ‘no comment’ from our team. “
In this September 30, 2013 file photo, Tony Hsieh speaks at a luncheon at the Grand Rapids Economic Club in Grand Rapids, Mich. (Cory Morse / The Grand Rapids Press via AP, File)
The New London Fire Department would not comment on anything more than what had already been made public.
Nitrous oxide “increases the intensity of the fire,” according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
QUESTIONS TURN AS THE DEATH INVESTIGATION OF TONY HSIEH, FOUNDER OF ZAPPOS, MOVES FORWARD
“He was taking dozens of them a day,” the colleague told the Mail. “He lived a crazy, eccentric life. Drugs often made him hallucinate, he became paranoid.”
Hsieh, who had recently retired from the e-commerce shoe giant, had previously been described by Vanity Fair as a “consummate party animal, frequently hosting office events to celebrate everything from hitting sales targets to Chinese New Year ringtone with a horse (a living horse!) to take pictures of Gray Goose, just because.
The anonymous colleague told the Daily Mail that Hsieh’s alleged drug and alcohol use “was known to everyone around him”.
“The rhetoric among his former colleagues at Zappos is that Tony was probably in the hangar, drunk and drugged,” they continued.
Hsieh was also known to light candles as a way to “create the mood,” according to the colleague.
The New London Fire Marshal’s Office and the New London Police Department’s Investigative Services Division are investigating the circumstances of the fire.
Hsieh was on the property of a three-story house in New London, Connecticut, at the time of the November 18 fire. While others were able to get out in time, the former technical manager was inside a “hangar attached to the outside of the house” and could not or could not escape, according to police and fire department radio recordings.
Reports have varied as to whether he was “trapped” or rather “barricaded”, two descriptions provided in the tapes of responders at the scene.
“The male is barricaded inside,” one person can be heard in the recording archived by Broadcastify. “He doesn’t answer the door. Everyone’s outside the house, they’re trying to get him to open up.
TONY HSIEH, CEO OF ZAPPOS RETIRED, DEATH AT 46
On Monday, the New London Police Department released details of how Hsieh was found, describing how they initially received a report of a ‘structure fire with a person trapped inside’.
“Upon arrival at the scene, emergency services personnel observed black smoke emanating from the rear of the residential structure,” police said. “Those at the scene informed emergency personnel that a man, later identified as Anthony Hsieh… was locked in a storage area where smoke was coming out of the back of the residence, and they did not couldn’t get him out.
First responders were able to smash the door to the storage room and pull Hsieh from inside, police said. He was first taken to Lawrence + Memorial Hospital before being transferred to the Burn Center at Bridgeport Hospital.
The magnate succumbed to his injuries on Friday. The state’s office of the chief medical examiner has since ruled the death accidental and caused by smoke inhalation.
ZAPPOS FOUNDER TONY HSIEH, DEATH OF SMOKE INHALATION, SAYS MEDICAL EXAMINER
A spokesperson for the office did not immediately respond to questions from Fox News about whether a toxicology review was underway.
The Wall Street Journal reported that the $ 1.3 million waterfront property on Pequot Avenue was owned by Rachael Brown, who is also the name of a Zappos employee who is “among her closest confidants.” , according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
Local affiliate FOX61 cited sources reporting that Hsieh purchased the house for Brown in August. The news channel spoke with one of Hsieh’s assistants, Anthony Hebert, who said his boss was in town with relatives and his “soul mate,” but did not provide further details.
The Daily Mail previously reported that one of his brothers was staying at home with him at the time, although it was not clear if Brown was with them.
Hsieh retired from Zappos over the summer after 20 years at the helm of the company. The online shoe retailer shared a tribute on social media Friday night.
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“The world has lost a great visionary and an incredible human being,” the statement read. “His mind will forever be part of Zappos.”
Hsieh was a Harvard University graduate who joined the company – then called ShoeSite.com – in 1999. Zappos was sold to Amazon for $ 1.2 billion in 2009, but Hsieh remained in the business. until his retirement.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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