NEW LONDON, Conn. — New information has been released regarding the death of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh. Hsieh was pronounced dead following a fire at a home in New London back in November.
The New London Fire Marshal, Vernon Skau, said that through an investigation, he came up with four hypotheses on what caused the fire, but ultimately said the cause of the fire was 'undetermined'.
Tony Hsieh, who recently retired as the Las Vegas-based company's CEO, had been visiting with family in New London when he somehow became locked in a storage area of the back of the house, where a fire broke out just before 3:30 am on. November 18.
According to the investigation, the fire marshal determined four hypotheses.
The first one explains that while in the shed, a propane heater came into direct contact or into proximity of nearby heating elements. The heater had been located on/near a pile of storage near the same door that Hsieh had opened several times while staying in the shed.
Another possibility, according to officials, is that a 'carelessly discarded smoking material' was the cause of the blaze. Several discarded cigarettes and a marijuana pipe were found in the shed while investigating.
The third possibility that investigators determined was that misuse of candles triggered the fire. Several candles had been found in and around the shed. A person also at the house at the time said that when they went to check on Hsieh, they saw candles burning.
The final hypothesis that investigators determined was that the fire may have been due to carelessness or was an intentional act by Hsieh. A plastic Ziploc bag with 'thermal damage' was found that contained post-it notes, also damaged by heat.
Investigators said that there was 'physical evidence' to lead them to theorize the Hsieh may have been impaired or intoxicated at the time of the fire due to various items like alcohol and marijuana paraphernalia in the shed.
Skau said that since they were unable to discover the 'first fuel' for the fire and the ignition source, the cause of the fire remains 'undetermined' and is unable to rule out any of the hypotheses.
Investigators say Hsieh died from complications due to smoke inhalation.
