ANNAPOLIS, Md., Jan. 28 (UPI) -- A Maryland couple's decision to leave their 15-foot Christmas tree standing contributed to the deadly fire that destroyed their riverfront home, officials said.
Don and Sandra Pyle and four of their five grandchildren died in the blaze that started at 3 a.m. Jan. 19. Fire investigators said Wednesday the fire started with an electrical fault and was fueled by the Christmas tree and by the oxygen available in the mansion's Great Room, which had a 19-foot ceiling.
Officials said the tree, which had been cut in November, burned quickly.
The house was not equipped with sprinklers, which are now required in all new buildings in Anne Arundel County, but were not a decade ago when the mansion was built. An alarm alerted a home security company, which summoned firefighters, but investigators are unsure if it woke the family -- or if they would have been able to get out if it did.
Related
Jim Mills, a specialist in fire protection engineering at the University of Maryland, told the Washington Post large trees produce "a tremendous amount of heat in a very short order."
The 16,000-square-foot house on a large property south of Annapolis was destroyed by the four-alarm fire with steel beams collapsing into the basement. Scores of firefighters spent more than three hours getting it under control.
The home's grandeur made fighting the fire difficult. There were no nearby hydrants, and officials brought in tanker trucks and a fire boat to draw water from the South River.
Five bodies were recovered last week and a sixth on Monday.
Lexi and Katie Boone and their cousins, Charlotte and Wes Boone, were all between the ages of 6 and 8 and students at the private Severn School. The Pyles were so well-known at the school they had a dedicated spot in the parking lot.
Don Pyle was chief operating officer of ScienceLogic, a cybersecurity firm in Reston, Va.
The children's fathers were Sandra Pyle's sons by a previous marriage. The only surviving grandchild is a baby boy, who was with his parents while his siblings and cousins accompanied their grandparents to Medieval Times at the Arundel Mills Mall and then to a sleepover.
"Our love for our family is boundless," the family said in a statement Tuesday. "Our loss demands time and quiet reflection to process these feelings. We ask that you respect our need for privacy. Life is fragile. Make time today to embrace your loved ones."
