By Felisa Cardona
The Denver Post
Copyright 2006 The Denver Post
All Rights Reserved
Denver Fire Lt. Richard Montoya, caught in a burning house just 15 shifts from retirement, died from complications of the smoke he inhaled, not a heart attack as initially suspected, according to an autopsy report obtained Monday.
Montoya, 61, also suffered brain damage because of a lack of oxygen, the report says, noting that his air mask was likely dislodged during the May 14 fire.
The autopsy does not say how long Montoya was without oxygen or how long it took his fellow firefighters to rescue him once they realized he was down.
Montoya was in a second-floor room that was pitch-black with smoke when he decided to tell his crew to back out down the staircase.
“It was a violent scene,” said Denver Fire Lt. Phil Champagne. “In a hostile environment, a mask can become displaced within seconds.”
In the darkness, Montoya backed into a bedroom where investigators believe a mattress that may have been leaning on a wall fell on him, knocking his air mask out of place.
Initial reports indicated that the mattress fell from an attic through the ceiling, but Champagne said it was probably already in the room.
A safety device that Montoya was wearing blared, signifying he had not moved for about 30 seconds. His crew heard the horn and immediately went back for him. The firefighters carried him outside, and he was resuscitated by paramedics.
Montoya died a week later at Denver Health Medical Center.
A department report containing a timeline of events is expected to be released within days.
However, Champagne says a preliminary investigation indicates Montoya’s fellow firefighters pulled him out of the house within two to seven minutes.
Depending on body weight and other physical factors, a person can succumb to smoke inhalation in three to six minutes, Champagne said.
Elevated levels of carbon monoxide were found in Montoya’s blood, and he had soot in his airway, the autopsy said.
At the time he died, there was speculation he had had a heart attack because his heart stopped beating twice on the way to the hospital. But there was no evidence of damage to his heart.
The autopsy report also confirmed the department’s contention that Montoya was in excellent shape before the fire.
A federal investigation into Montoya’s death is being conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Health and Safety, and a report is expected to be completed before the end of this year, NIOSH spokesman Fred Blosser said.
Sixteen-year-old Raquel Gutierrez suffered burns in the fire and was rescued by firefighters. Her sister, mother and grandmother were also in the house at the time but escaped unharmed.
Gutierrez’s mother, Cindy Maestas, has said a candle she lit for religious purposes was jostled off a table, causing the fire.