Baltimore Riots Delay Annapolis Mansion Fire Final Report

A final report from federal authorities giving a timeline and more details on the horrific fire that killed a couple and their four grandchildren in an Annapolis mansion has been delayed by investigations tied to the Baltimore riots.

In April, fire investigators at a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives laboratory in Beltsville set Christmas trees on fire as they worked to understand how an electrical fire spread to a 15-foot tree and killed the family.

The fires were part of the investigation into the January fire that killed Don and Sandra Pyle and four of their grandchildren, who were staying overnight. The family was trapped by smoke and flames when an electrical fire spread to a Christmas tree in the $4.2 million mansion in the 900 block of Childs Point Road that was destroyed by fire.

The home was owned by Reston IT exec Donald Pyle and his wife, Sandra Pyle. Donald Pyle was chief operating officer at ScienceLogic, according to the Post, an information technology company that monitors networks for private and government clients. The grandchildren killed were Alexis Boone, 8; Kaitlyn Boone, 7; Charlotte Boone, 8; and Wesley Boone, 6. The Boone children are the grandchildren of Sandra Pyle and the step-grandchildren of Don Pyle.

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The medical examiner ruled the family members died of smoke inhalation and burns in the accidental blaze.

ATF officials said burning the trees in the lab will give investigators a better understanding of how much heat a tree of that size can generate. The results were to be included in a report released by May.

But the late April riots in Baltimore, which included the burning of a CVS pharmacy and other arson fires, took priority over the Pyle case, ATF officials said. The review should be released within a month.

The report won’t be a surprise, the cause of the fire remains unchanged, but it will give authorities more information about the heat generated when a 15-foot tree burns.

“It is important to us to make sure the public has a clear understanding of what happened,” ATF spokesman Dave Cheplak told the Capital-Gazette. “We want to make sure we stress some of the findings, in terms of Christmas-tree safety.”

Officials Explain Tragedy

An electrical failure in the home’s great room ignited material in the area, which quickly spread to the 15-foot tall Christmas tree and furnishings. The sleeping area connected to the great room, blocking an exit for the home’s inhabitants, authorities said in January.

“Christmas trees, when they’re dry, they burn quickly,” said Arundel County Fire Chief Alan Graves .

The Christmas tree was cut more than 60 days before the fire, Graves said, and the fuel as it burned provided heat and a rapid spread of the blaze. He would not discuss where the bodies were found, if there was evidence that the Pyles tried to put out the fire or reach their grandchildren.

“Our collective hearts break for the tragedy you have to bear,” Graves said to the surviving family members.

Special agent in charge Bill McMullin with the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms said, “This fire was the result of a tragic accident that happened at the absolute worst time, when the Pyles and their grandkids were sleeping.”

»Fire scene photos from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s Facebook page; family members photos via screenshots from WBAL TV

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