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House-fire death of former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh ruled accidental

Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, pictured at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2014, died on Friday while visiting Connecticut. File Photo by David Becker/UPI
Former Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, pictured at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2014, died on Friday while visiting Connecticut. File Photo by David Becker/UPI | License Photo

Dec. 1 (UPI) -- The death of retired Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh last week that was linked to a Connecticut house fire has been ruled an accident.

The Connecticut Office of the Medical Examiner said Hsieh, 46, was injured in the New London fire on Nov. 18 but wasn't identified publicly as a victim until he died Friday.

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Hsieh was visiting family in Connecticut at the time of the fire, officials said.

New London Police Capt. Brian Wright said Hsieh was "locked inside a storage area" at the home and could not escape.

The medical examiner said Hsieh died from complications related to smoke inhalation. The official investigation into the fire's cause has not yet been completed.

Megan Fazio, a spokeswoman with Hsieh's Las Vegas-based DTP Companies, said he'd been visiting Connecticut with his brother. A Zappos employee owned the home where the fire occurred.

New London Fire Chief Thomas Curcio said the cause of the fire is still unknown.

Hsieh joined ShoeSite.com, which later became Zappos, in 1999 and oversaw the company through its purchase by Amazon in 2009 for $1.2 billion. He retired in August.

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