Heavy smoke and confusion filled the burning home where Denver Fire Lt. Richard Montoya succumbed to smoke inhalation on May 14, according to a report released Monday by the Fire Department.
Montoya, 61, died May 21 from complications of smoke inhalation, a week after the fire in the 4300 block of Thompson Court.
The timeline of events does not shed any additional light on how long the fireman was without oxygen.
There was a 5-minute time period during the fire where Montoya cannot be accounted for, but fire officials say succumbing to smoke inhalation can happen faster than that.
What is known is that while fighting the blaze, Montoya’s air mask probably came off his face when he was struck by a mattress in a second-floor bedroom.
The mattress might have fallen on Montoya while other firefighters were maneuvering furniture and debris around the room in order to get out, the report says.
Tests on the air mask show it was operating correctly, the report says.
Once Montoya’s fellow firefighters heard an alarm signaling that he wasn’t moving, they made significant efforts to save him, pulling him down the stairs by his shoulder straps.
One firefighter injured his back trying to save Montoya’s life.
The report is a compilation of dispatch tapes, written statements taken from fellow firefighters, arson investigation reports and witness interviews.
