Pittsburgh police are investigating whether an artificial Christmas tree fire caused a Sheraden man’s death early Friday. “Anytime you burn things like plastics or any synthetics, there are lots and lots of byproducts of combustion — hundreds,” said Edward Krenzelok, director of the Pittsburgh Poison Control Center. “One that would be really toxic would be cyanide. If you burn wool, plastics or other things with a carbon molecule and nitrogen molecule you can get cyanide poisoning.” Ronald Baker, 55, and his wife, Veronica Baker, 49, awoke about 3 a.m. to find their 2-foot tall plastic Christmas tree on fire in the bedroom of their Hillsboro Street home, city police said. The two put out the fire. The couple decided not to call 911 and instead began cleaning up the damage, police Lt. Kevin Kraus said. They went back to bed, but the woman found her husband covered with soot and unconscious in the bathtub when she got up about noon, Kraus said. Baker was pronounced dead in the home, Kraus said. Veronica Baker was semi-conscious when police arrived and taken to UPMC Mercy, Uptown, where she was admitted for observation in stable condition Kraus said. The entire upstairs of the home is covered in soot, Kraus said. Police are awaiting a report from the Allegheny County Medical Examiner’s Office on the cause of death. An autopsy is scheduled today. Kraus said he wasn’t sure what kind of fumes were in the home as a result of the fire. Homicide and arson detectives are investigating. Krenzelok said in his 28 years at the poison center he hasn’t heard of a burned Christmas tree causing a death. Such a fire would produce carbon monoxide and possibly cyanide fumes, he said. Inhaling the gases makes less oxygen available to the bloodstream, akin to when someone hyperventilates and becomes light-headed from lack of oxygen, Krenzelok said. “This is similar to that, only it’s just a chemically induced lack of oxygen,” he said. James Cronin, 61, lives next door to the couple. He said he knows Ronald Baker had medical problems in the past. He described the Bakers as a quiet couple who had lived in the home since he moved in five years ago. “They were nice. They would say hi and wave when you saw them,” Cronin said. The couple were married for 10 years, Kraus said. Cronin said Ronald Baker worked as a pizza delivery driver. An underlying medical condition could make someone more susceptible to carbon monoxide poisoning, Krenzelok said. “Hypothetically, if there’s a pre-existing cardiac disease, small increases in carbon monoxide could tip a fragile person’s system over and cause death,” he said. Investigators can test for the presence of carbon monoxide and cyanide in the victims’ blood, he said. “If the level is high, it could have precipitated a heart attack in him,” Krenzelok said. “Or it could be something totally unrelated, but if I was a forensic investigator, that’s where I would look.” Staff writer Michael Hasch contributed to this report. Email Newsletters TribLIVE's Daily and Weekly email newsletters deliver the news you want and information you need, right to your inbox.