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Connecticut fire investigators have released several hypotheses relating to the New London blaze that killed Zappos founder Tony Hsieh late last year and are wondering if the blaze was caused by a potential misuse of candles, reckless disposal of smoking materials or even if it is intentional. by Hsieh “was to blame.
The 19-page incident report released by the New London Fire Department on Tuesday details how several people, including Tony Hsieh and his brother Andrew, were at the Pequot Avenue house when the fire broke out shortly before 3:30 a.m. in the morning on November. 18, 2020. Everyone except Tony Hsieh was able to escape.
Hsieh was “trapped” in the pool hall, the report said, by shed doors that were “locked with a single keypad deadbolt style lock.”
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Hsieh and the group were due to leave for Hawaii shortly after the blaze and a limo arrived to take them to the airport around 3:20 a.m., according to a schedule provided by the fire department.
Zappos.com CEO Tony Hsieh judges the nominees at the Fourth Annual Las Vegas Halloween Parade, October 31, 2013, in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images)
Hsieh, 46, had remained in the shed-like room after he, the owner and his alleged girlfriend, Rachael Brown, had an argument around 11:30 p.m. the night before. She asked him to leave the property until they left for Maui, and Hsieh moved into the pool room.
The timeline shows that his friends were watching him every 10 minutes, including when they told Hsieh it was time to leave at 3:20 am At the time, he replied, “Another five minutes”.
But at 3:21 a.m., the carbon monoxide detector alarm had been activated. At 3:24 a.m., a camera positioned at the entrance to the hangar had failed due to the fire, the timeline indicates. The fire department was called at 3:26 a.m.
Minutes earlier, at 3:14 a.m., authorities said an accident could be heard inside the hangar.
It took six minutes from the first fire engine to arrive at the scene for responders to Hsieh, the report notes. When firefighters found him, he was “supine on a blanket” inside the hangar.
Hsieh “was located with his left side on the blanket and his right side elevated slightly with his right arm across his chest,” the report describes. “Hsieh was facing the two doors which were forced open by the fire department.”
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A sketch released by firefighters shows the flames lit between Hsieh and his only apparent exit. Candles, a marijuana pipe and cigarettes were found at the scene, according to the report.
His death was deemed accidental and caused by complications from smoke inhalation, officials previously said.
A sketch of the New London Fire Department shows the approximate location of Tony Hsieh’s body at the time of the fire. (New London Fire Department)
Authorities would have did not believe there was any crime involved but said the cause of the fire is so far undetermined. Investigators have identified four possible hypotheses, including that “the misuse of candles started this fire,” the report said.
“Several candles were found in and around the area of origin of the fire,” the report explains. He notes that one of the other people staying at the house said he checked Hsieh around 1 a.m. and saw “candles burning and one of the candles lit a fire on part of the house. ‘coverage”.
The report adds: “The fact that there were candles located in the area of origin of the fire and the fact that about two hours before the fire, an accidental fire occurred in a blanket. .. misuse of candles could not be ruled out as the cause of Fire. “
A second of the four hypotheses describes how the fire could have been started by “negligence or even an intentional act of Hsieh,” the report says.
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Investigators found a burnt plastic bag with scorched Post-it notes inside near the fire area, as well as a gray basket also containing burnt paper.
Authorities have reviewed a video showing that Hsieh set the plastic bag on fire, officials said.
The findings, according to the report, are “indicative of a firing pattern that could have caused this fire.”
Witnesses also told investigators that earlier that night they discovered a candle burning a blanket in the hangar “in the immediate vicinity of Hsieh.
The fire department also said it had found “physical evidence to theorize that Hsieh may have been weakened or intoxicated at the time of the fire.”
According to the report, authorities discovered “several Whip-It brand nitrous oxide chargers and a whipping cream dispenser, a marijuana pipe and bottles of Fernet Branca liquor.” Investigators also found “a plastic bottle of Tiki brand torch fuel” in the area.
“Poisoning can affect an individual’s ability to recognize and respond to the dangers presented by fire,” the report explains.
Investigators also say the fire could have started when a propane heater “came into direct contact or near the heating elements with nearby fuels, causing the blaze.” The heater was placed on or near a storage stack near the door and “was located in an area where thermal damage and material loss was greatest,” the report explains.
“This thermal damage and loss of mass of material is the result of a fire that occurred in the area near / under the propane tank,” the report continued. “The fire heated the propane tank to a point where the relief valve functioned as intended for [relieve] the pressure in the tank. This resulted in propane gas flowing out of the tank and coming into contact with the open flame. “
The report also stated that one of the two heating elements had been broken or removed and the assembly “was no longer attached to the carrying handle and was in a horizontal position with the heating element resting on the carrying handle.” .
He describes how there is a “small percentage chance” that the fire has ignited in this manner, but indicates that the possibility cannot be eliminated.
Another hypothesis was that the fire was caused by “carelessly discarded smoking material (cigarettes or marijuana)”.
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Investigators reported finding “several discarded cigarettes” in the area, in addition to the marijuana pipe. But the report also describes how there is a “small percentage chance” that the fire started this way.
A spokesperson for Hsieh’s family said they would not comment “because they continue to cry”.
The spokesperson added: “Right now and for the foreseeable future, they are focused on their work to carry on Tony’s legacy.”
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