The Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — David Engle had a high concentration of alcohol in his bloodstream when he died June 15 after a fire in his Steamboat Springs apartment, according to a toxicology report released Monday. The report also shows Engle had cocaine and marijuana in his system.

Routt County Coroner Rob Ryg said the cause of Engle’s death remains smoke inhalation, but the drugs are listed as a contributing factor.

“It would have made it pretty hard for him to wake up,” Ryg said. “He would certainly not be able to function as he normally would.”

An investigation by Fire Marshall Jay Muhme revealed Engle fell asleep while cooking french fries on a gas stove in his converted-garage apartment on the corner of Pine and Seventh streets. The inspection also found there were no smoke detectors in his apartment.

Engle’s autopsy was performed by the Arapahoe County Corner’s Office, and the toxicology report was prepared by the El Paso County Coroner’s Office.

The report shows Engle had a blood alcohol level of 0.197 percent, or more than twice the legal limit for drivers. The limit in Colorado is 0.08 percent.

Tamara Davis, an investigator with the Arapahoe office, said that amount of alcohol would be considered within the normal range for someone who drank regularly but would be toxic for someone with low tolerance.

The level of cocaine in his system, 131 nanograms per milliliter, indicates he used the drug the night of his death, Ryg said.

Any level of cocaine can be toxic, Davis said, because it is an unpredictable drug.

Marijuana also was found in his blood, but the blood tests do not reveal when he last used the drug. The level of marijuana in his blood could have come from usage any time in the previous five days, Ryg said.

Engle’s parents declined to comment Monday about the toxicology results.

Engle’s death touched off a debate about whether the city of Steamboat Springs should better regulate secondary living units such as the apartment Engle called home. The apartment was not registered with the city as a legal residential dwelling. City codes require that residential units have working smoke detectors.