Investigation into cause of death of Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh ongoing after he suffered injuries in Connecticut house fire

A final determination on the cause of former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh’s death remains pending, Connecticut’s chief medical examiner said Monday, three days after he died following injuries sustained in a house fire earlier this month.

Hsieh’s death on Friday was confirmed by DTP Companies, an organization that he launched with the goal of revitalizing the urban center of Las Vegas. A spokeswoman said the Nov. 18 fire occurred at a home in New London.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner said the cause and manner of Hsieh’s death remained pending, but that a final determination could be made soon.

New London Fire Chief Thomas Curcio told The Courant there was only one fire with injuries in New London on Nov. 18, at a home at 500 Pequot Ave. He declined to release the identity of the person injured and said the fire remains “an active investigation.”

Curcio said firefighters were called to a fire at the home at about 3:30 a.m. and told a person was trapped inside. All the city’s fire companies responded, and the victim was pulled from the home, where CPR was administered.

First responders initially took the injured person to Lawrence + Memorial hospital, Curcio said, but the person was later transferred by Life Star helicopter to Bridgeport Hospital, home of the Connecticut Burn Center.

First responders arriving to the scene say a person is trapped in the fire, according to emergency radio transmissions archived by Broadcastify.com. The fire appeared to be in the basement of the home.

Minutes after firefighters arrived, they radioed that they were pulling an unresponsive victim from the fire, according to the emergency radio transmissions. The fire was then reported to be knocked down.

The cause of the fire remains under investigation by the New London fire marshal, according to city officials.

Records show the home was purchased in August by Rachael Brown. A woman with that name has been a longtime Zappos employee.

Hsieh ran the company for nearly two decades before retiring earlier this year.

News of Hsieh’s death was met with an outpouring on social media from top technology and business leaders.

“Your curiosity, vision, and relentless focus on customers leave an indelible mark. You will be missed by so many, Tony. Rest In Peace,” Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wrote on Instagram. Amazon bought Zappos in 2009 for $1.2 billion.

Nicholas Rondinone can be reached at nrondinone@courant.com.

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