Thursday, January 29, 2015

ELECTRICAL FIRE IGNITED CHRISTMAS TREE IN FATAL MD. MANSION FIRE THAT KILLED 6 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 4 CHILDREN



ELECTRICAL FIRE IGNITED CHRISTMAS TREE IN FATAL MD. MANSION FIRE THAT KILLED 6 PEOPLE, INCLUDING 4 CHILDREN










MILLERSVILLE, Md. — Jan 28, 2015, 8:44 PM ET

An electrical fire that spread to a 15-foot Christmas tree prompted a blaze that reduced a 16,000-square-foot riverfront mansion near Maryland's capital to ruins, killing a couple and four of their young grandchildren, investigators said Wednesday.

The fire ignited combustible material, probably a tree skirt, and tore through the massive, castle-like structure in the early morning hours of Jan. 19.

Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Allan Graves said the tree had been cut more than 60 days before the blaze and was in a "great room" of the house with 19-foot ceilings.

"The involvement of the Christmas tree explains the heavy fire conditions found by the first arriving fire crews," Graves said.

Investigators on Wednesday identified the victims as Don and Sandra Pyle and their grandchildren: Charlotte Boone, 8; Wes Boone, 6; Lexi Boone, 8, and Katie Boone, 7. Don Pyle, 56, was chief operating officer of ScienceLogic in Reston, Virginia.

The fire was reported about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 19 by an alarm-monitoring company, reporting smoke had been detected inside, and a neighbor who spotted flames. The home had smoke detectors, and there was no indication they did not work, said Deputy Chief Scott Hoglander of the Anne Arundel County fire marshal's office.

The big tree fueled the fire, which spread rapidly. The 911 call from a neighbor came within 2 minutes of the report to the alarm-monitoring company.

"I think it's more about the actual fuel load of the Christmas tree and the output of energy and heat from that particular fuel load that caused the rapid fire spread," Hoglander said. "It really had nothing to do with the building construction itself."

The investigation found that a failure in an electrical outlet in the floor that provided power to the tree produced heat that ignited something combustible, probably a tree skirt, said Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.

Some 85 firefighters from several jurisdictions fought the four-alarm fire, which burned for three hours before it could be contained. Because there was no hydrant in the area, firefighters shuttled tankers to the site and stationed a fire boat at a pier nearby.

Investigators brought in dogs to search for bodies and evidence, such as accelerants, and conducted more than 50 interviews. Bill McMullan, special agent in charge of the Baltimore field office of the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said the investigation concluded the fire was the result of "a tragic accident that occurred at the absolutely worst possible time, while the Pyles and their grandchildren were sleeping."
Hoglander declined to mention a specific cause of death, because officials have not received an official report back from the state medical examiner's office.

A spokeswoman for the children's parents said that the day before the fire, the doting grandparents bought the children costumes before taking them to dinner at a medieval-themed restaurant.

Charlotte and Wes Boone were sister and brother. Lexi and Katie were sisters; they had a newborn brother who was home with his parents, Randy and Stacey Boone, the night of the fire. The cousins' fathers, Randy and Clint Boone, were the sons of Sandra Pyle, 63. The four children were students at the Severn School in Severna Park.

In a statement issued Wednesday, the Boone family thanked investigators for their work and well-wishers for their prayers.

"While the explanation that has been shared with us today does not bring solace, it does start us down the long road to acceptance," the statement read.

The Pyles built the home in 2005, four years before the county began requiring sprinkler systems in new homes. Hoglander said he believes sprinklers would have made a difference.

"I would say without a doubt," he said.
The $6 million property once boasted turrets, spiral staircases, lion statues, a sprawling lawn and forested land. All that remains resembles a colonial ruin: a brick wall with windows missing and a mountain of burned debris.

As investigators from the fire department, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, and the state fire marshal's office probed the scene, members of the community brought notes and teddy bears for a small memorial just outside the property. On brick columns that flanked an iron gate, Christmas decorations were still displayed.





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An electrical failure ignited a dry,15-foot-tall Christmas tree in a fire that destroyed an Annapolis, Maryland, mansion, killing four children and their grandparents, Anne Arundel County fire officials said Wednesday.

Technology executive Don Pyle; his wife, Sandra; and four grandchildren died in what Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives agent Bill McMullan called "a tragic accident that occurred at the worst possible time while the Pyles and their grandchildren were sleeping."
"The involvement of the Christmas tree explains the heavy fire conditions," Fire Chief Allan Graves said at a news conference.
The grandchildren have been identified as Alexis (Lexi) Boone, 8; Kaitlyn (Katie) Boone, 7; Charlotte Boone, 8; and Wesley (Wes) Boone, 6. They were the children of Sandra Pyle's sons, Randy and Clint Boone. 

"While the explanation that has been shared with us today does not bring solace, it does start us down the long road to acceptance," a statement Wednesday from the Boone and Pyle families said. "Our tragedy has touched many lives in many families, and, in different degrees, is shared by each of us. Our hope is that our loss will raise awareness that this tragic event could happen to any family. "

Tree cut down two months prior
The blaze started in the waterfront mansion's great room, with 19-foot ceilings and connections to living and sleeping areas. It was fed by a towering Christmas tree that was cut about two months earlier, fire officials said.
The tree was lit most of the time, officials said. 

"The fuel load from the Christmas tree itself is what created the significant amount of fire and heat to cause the fire to spread as quickly as it did," Deputy Chief Scott Hoglander said.
Authorities were alerted within minutes by a fire-alarm system monitored outside the home and a neighbor's 911 call. The home, which was constructed before 2005 legislation requiring a sprinkler system, did not have the devices. 

"We're very comfortable that this was an accidental fire," Graves said.

Sandy and Don Pyle died along with their four grandchildren in the fire.
The medical examiner's office positively identified the victims, officials said. Five bodies were recovered in the days after the fire; the final one on Monday.
The children were visiting their grandparents for a sleepover because January 19 was a school holiday, a family spokeswoman said.


"We believe that life is about making memories. As we work through our pain and loss, the memories we made with our family will sustain us," the families' statement said.
Officials said they were still conducting tests to determine the exact sequence of events, but believe the fire was sparked by a faulty electrical outlet.
Smoke detectors in homes are common but fire sprinklers are not, says the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Fire sprinklers reduce the death rate by 83%, property damage by 69% and firefighter injuries by 65%.
Fires in homes are responsible for more than 80% of fire deaths in the United States, according to the agency.

Christmas tree fires are three times more deadly than home fire in general, according to the National Fire Protection Association.
Local and federal officials last week secured the structure and accessed the foundation of the 16,000-square-foot house. Cadaver dogs led them to the bodies, officials said.
Authorities were initially treating the house as a crime scene. Officials said it is standard procedure for a case such as this and no evidence has been found to indicate suspicious activity.
The house belonged to Pyle, chief operating officer for ScienceLogic, and his wife, Sandra, company spokesman Antonio Piraino said. 


The sheer size of the structure and the fact that three-fourths of the building had collapsed into the basement, with deep piles of debris still smoldering days after the blaze, compounded the search, Anne Arundel County Fire Capt. Robert Howarth said. He led the investigation along with a team from the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
"You're looking at five standard houses put together," he said last week. "This is more of a commercial fire than it is a residential fire. There are a lot of businesses that aren't 16,000 square feet. That adds to it."
Fire officials said they were alerted to the fire about 3:30 a.m. January 19. About 80 firefighters responded.
The ATF national response team responded because the fire was deemed suspicious, Howarth said.
The fire department said crews had difficulty putting out the fire because the house is secluded, apparently with no fire hydrants on the scene. 

Fire crews had difficulty battling the blaze because the house is so secluded.

Photos the fire department posted on Twitter showed hoses stretched for long distances. Davies said it took hours for fire department tanker trucks and a fire boat on an adjacent creek to bring the fire under control.
Pyle's company biography described him as an industry veteran who has held multiple CEO positions, with more than 25 years' experience in information technology infrastructure software and hardware management.