Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s Death Is Ruled Accident by Medical Examiner
Tech entrepreneur died from complications of smoke inhalation, office says
Tony Hsieh, shown at the 2013 Aspen Ideas Festival, helped change the face of internet retailing.
PHOTO: LYNN GOLDSMITH/ZUMA PRESS
By
Updated Nov. 30, 2020 9:06 pm ET
Former Zappos.com Inc. Chief Executive Tony Hsieh died from complications of smoke inhalation, according to the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which ruled the death an accident.
Mr. Hsieh, who led online shoe retailer Zappos.com Inc. for two decades, died Friday at the age of 46 in New London, Conn. His attorney, Puoy Premsrirut, said Mr. Hsieh died from injuries suffered in a Nov. 18 fire in New London.
New London Fire Chief Thomas Curcio didn’t return calls seeking requests for comment Monday. Chief Curcio previously said the fire was still under investigation. No cause has been released.
First responders in New London rushed to a burning three-story, beachfront home around 3:30 a.m. on Nov. 18, and upon arrival saw dark smoke coming from a storage area at the back of the house, police said in a news release Monday.
People at the scene told first responders that Mr. Hsieh was locked inside the storage area, and emergency personnel then broke down the door and extinguished the fire, police said. The New London police department and fire marshal’s office are still investigating.
According to a radio recording of first responders, an emergency worker said one man was “stuck inside.” Some firefighters and dispatchers referred to the victim as “trapped,” while one said the man was “barricaded” inside.
Chief Curcio previously said first responders performed CPR on a man rescued from the fire and took him to the hospital. Mr. Hsieh was eventually flown to the Connecticut Burn Center in Bridgeport, Conn., where he died, a hospital spokesman said.
Property records show the home that sustained the fire was purchased for $1.3 million in August by a woman named Rachael Brown. A longtime Zappos training manager is named Rachael Brown. She didn’t respond to messages seeking comment. Mr. Hsieh lived in Las Vegas.
Mr. Hsieh changed the face of internet retailing as a young entrepreneur. To overcome customer skittishness about ordering shoes without trying them on first, Zappos offered free shipping and free returns, giving customers as long as a year to send back unwanted products.
Write to Kate King at Kate.King@wsj.com |
