Fatal Holiday Mansion Fire: Sister's Safety Message After 6 Die

ANNAPOLIS, MD — With Christmas trees installed in homes around Annapolis and nationwide, the sister of a homeowner whose tinder-dry tree torched an Annapolis mansion is reminding residents of how to safely have a tree, in hopes of avoiding a tragedy like the 2015 fire that killed Don and Sandra Pyle, along with four of their grandchildren.

Don Pyle’s sister, Sher Grogg, last year joined Common Voices, a group of advocates, burn survivors and others who have lost family members in fires. The group educates people on the importance of home fire sprinklers; her brother’s spacious house didn’t have them.

"The world is a much darker place without the light from my brother, sister-in-law, and their four beautiful grandchildren," Grogg said in a video recorded for this holiday season.

It's likely that within three minutes of the fire's start, temperatures had climbed so high that it caused a "flashover," when heat ignites everything combustible in a room, she said.

"No one survives flashover. It can happen in fewer than three minutes. Under three minutes from the time of ignition, this gives no one a chance to escape," Grogg said.

The 11-year-old house had working smoke alarms, but didn't have sprinklers; residential building codes didn't require them. Her message urges builders to include sprinklers in new homes.

The 15-foot Christmas tree, which was scheduled to be removed the day after the fire, fueled a blaze on Jan. 19, 2015, that killed the Pyles and their grandchildren, who were staying overnight. 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.

Investigators said the family was trapped by smoke and flames when an electrical fire spread to the tree in the $4.2 million mansion in the 900 block of Childs Point Road.

A 43-page report released by the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Anne Arundel County Fire Department says the fire started under or near the tree in the house’s great room, likely when a light plug melted, and spread in less than a minute to the second floor, where all the victims were sleeping. It was ruled an accident.

Firefighters described the fire in the home’s foyer as a “kiln” and were unable to enter the house because of the intense heat and flames. About five minutes after arriving at the house, the front door was completely consumed by fire, the great room was engulfed in fire and the roof was starting to collapse, the report says.

The home was owned by Reston IT exec Donald Pyle and his wife, Sandra Pyle; Donald Pyle was chief operating officer at ScienceLogic. 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.

Fire investigators agree the fire started under or near the tree in the house’s great room and spread in less than a minute to the second floor, where all the victims were sleeping. The medical examiner ruled the family members died of smoke inhalation and burns in the accidental blaze.

SEE ALSO:

• Victims in Mansion Fire Died from Smoke, Burns: Report
• UPDATE Relatives: Grandparents, Four Children Dead in Mansion Fire
• Mansion Fire: Two-Month-Old Tree Up in Flames After Plug Melts

»Fire scene photos from the Anne Arundel County Fire Department’s Facebook page; family members photos via screenshot from YouTube video by Common Voices