Mansion Fire Investigators Plan to Set Christmas Trees Ablaze

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Fire investigators plan to set Christmas trees on fire as they work to understand how an electrical fire spread to a tree and killed a couple and their four grandchildren in an Annapolis mansion.

The burns on three trees will be done Thursday at a federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives laboratory in Beltsville, the Associated Press reports.

The fires are 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 15-foot 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 is chief operating officer at ScienceLogic, according to the Post, an information technology company that monitors networks for private and government clients.

SEE ALSO:

Victims in Mansion Fire Died from Smoke, Burns: Report

UPDATE Relatives: Grandparents, Four Children Dead in Mansion Fire

WBAL TV reports the missing children were identified by a family representative as 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.

Kaitlyn and sister Alexis are the children of Randy and Stacey Boone, who also have a month-old son. The girls’ cousins, Wes and Charlotte, are the children of Clint and Eve Boone, The Capital-Gazette reports.

The Medical Examiner told the Capital-Gazette newspaper that the family members died of smoke inhalation and burns in the accidental blaze.

ATF officials say 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 will be included in a report in a matter of weeks or months.

Official 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 late 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

READ ALSO:

• UPDATE: Christmas Tree Fed Mansion Fire that Killed Six
• Final Victim’s Remains Found in Mansion Debris: Officials
• Fifth Body Found in Mansion Rubble: Officials
• 2 More Bodies Found in Mansion Rubble; 2 People Missing
• Official: 2 Bodies Found in Mansion Rubble; 4 People Missing
• Fire Officials: Six Unaccounted For After Mansion Blaze