Emergency Dispatch Audio From Night Of Fatal Fire Raises Questions About Circumstances Of Zappos.com CEO's Death
NEW LONDON, Conn. (CBSNewYork) -- There are new details -- and new questions -- about the fire that killed retail visionary Tony Hsieh.
Witnesses told first responders Hsieh was barricaded in the storage area of a home when the fire started.
As CBS2's Tony Aiello reported Tuesday, from the street in New London, Connecticut, there's no indication the million dollar waterfront home was the scene of a deadly fire that killed the acclaimed tech entrepreneur. Hsieh was the longtime CEO of Zappos.com, the online shoe company.
A photo shows the storage area behind the home, owned by a female friend Hsieh was visiting. On Nov. 18t, at 3:30 a.m., a fire erupted in that area, with Hsieh locked inside.
"One person barricaded inside of a room, 500 Pequot for a fire inside of a house," an emergency services dispatcher can be heard saying in audio from the night, raising questions about the circumstances of Hsieh's death.
"The actual shed that is attached to the exterior of the house. And the male is barricaded inside. He's not answering the door. Everyone else is outside the house trying to get him to open up," the dispatcher says.
Firefighters eventually broke down the door and removed Hsieh, who died at a burn center more than a week later. The medical examiner ruled the death accidental.
A retired FDNY chief who now runs a fire consulting firm said investigators would look for evidence of any possible cause.
"An accident could be an accident where something wasn't exactly right, a drug or alcohol type of thing, you know, but it was still an accident that caused the fire. It wasn't deliberately started to hurt the person, or the person didn't deliberately start it to hurt himself," said Jim Bullock, president of NY Fire Consultants.
Hsieh spent many years and millions of dollars promoting development in downtown Las Vegas. A closely followed website, VitalVegas.com, reports friends say Hsieh was dealing with "serious personal struggles."
His shocking death doesn't diminish his legacy of inspiring entrepreneurs and revitalizing a city.
MORE FROM CBS NEW YORK
- Tickets Required To View Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree, Changes Made To Other Holiday Traditions In City This Year
- Crew Restoring Historic Roslyn Grist Mill Finds 100-Year-Old Time Capsule With Messages From Original Builders; 'A Treasure'
- Police: 5 Attackers Beat, Rob Subway Passenger In The Bronx
