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发帖数: 761 | 1 A 15-foot tall Christmas tree sparked a fatal fire that tore through a 16,
000-square-foot Annapolis mansion, killing a couple and their four
grandchildren in the fast-moving flames, investigators believe.
The preliminary cause of the fire, revealed at a press conference Wednesday,
comes just two days after the final body of six total was pulled from the
debris left by the pre-dawn blaze last week.
Reported early Jan. 19, the flames leveled the sprawling two-story home to
rubble and killed Don Pyle, the CEO of a northern Virginia tech company, his
wife Sandra Pyle and grandchildren Alexis Boone, 8; Charlotte Boone, 8;
Kaitlyn Boone, 7; and Wesley Boone, 6.
Lexi and Katie were sisters and cousins to Charlotte and Wes.
The family members were sleeping in rooms connected to the house's 19-foot-
tall "great room" which contained the massive tree when an electrical fire
broke out, said Anne Arundel Fire Chief Allan Graves.
Fire officials estimated that it took two to three minutes before the whole
tree shot up in flames after being cut down more than 60 days prior to the
fire and likely drying out.
The incredible blaze was the "result of a tragic accident which occurred at
the absolutely worst time while the Pyles and their grandchildren were
sleeping," Special Agent Bill McMullan with Baltimore's Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said.
There was no sprinkler system inside the residence due to it having been
built by the Pyles in 2005, before current safety regulations.
There was a smoke alarm system which alerted firefighters, however, along
with a 911 call two-minutes later by a neighbor.
The $9 million home, situation on eight-acres of waterfront property outside
Annapolis, Md., burned out of control for nearly four hours. Hot spots and
flare-ups kept firefighters from entering the wreckage for days.
Two bodies were found a week ago, then three more before the final remains
were removed Monday.
The Boone and Pyle families thanked the community and first responders after
the final body was recovered.
"We are relieved that our loved ones have all been recovered. We thank the
men, women, and canine service animals who have worked so tirelessly to
bring them home to us. Though we are grieving deeply, this has brought us
some small sense of closure. We take comfort in that they are now together,
and we can begin to mend our hearts,” they wrote in a statement obtained by
WBAL-TV. "We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the
community. The kindness shown by friends and strangers alike has been
overwhelming”. |
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