UPDATE Relatives: Grandparents, Four Children Dead in Mansion Fire

UPDATED at 11:20 a.m.

Relatives of six family members unaccounted for after a $4.2 Annapolis mansion was destroyed by fire believe they were inside at the time of the blaze, authorities said Tuesday.

Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, declined to give more details about what relatives of homeowner Donald Pyle said.

The massive blaze kept firefighters out of the house to search for victims Monday, as floors and ceilings collapsed. Davies said a search for victims will likely start Wednesday once water has been pumped out of the home’s basement and the skeletal structure is stabilized.

Capt. Robert Howard said, “The people are missing and unaccounted for. We do not declare anyone deceased until we have recovered evidence,” he said, reports WTOP.

Special Agent David Cheplak with the ATF’s Baltimore field office, told the Associated Press there was no evidence of foul play at this time.

Our original story:

The four grandchildren of an Annapolis homeowner are reported victims of a multi-million-dollar blaze that destroyed a mansion and has left six people unaccounted for, according to news reports.

Crews responded at 3:30 a.m. Monday to the home in the 900 block of Childs Point Road.

Some 85 firefighters battled the fire in the 16,000 square foot home through the night, getting it under control around 7 a.m. But crews battled hot spots at the scene throughout the day.

The residents may have been at home at the time of the fire, but bodies have not been recovered, according to WJLA.

The Washington Post reports the home is owned by Reston IT exec Donald Pyle and his wife, Sandra Pyle. The couple and four children are the residents still unaccounted for, according to the Post.

The Capital-Gazette reports it has a letter from Severn School headmaster Douglas Lagarde saying that the Pyles and four children died in the fire. The school’s website says that the Chesapeake Campus lower school is closed Tuesday, and an open house planned for 9 a.m. Wednesday has been canceled.

Former Democratic county councilman Jamie Benoit told the newspaper that the children’s parents have confirmed their deaths.

“It is devastating news. It is really tragic,” Benoit told the Capital-Gazette.

Donald Pyle is chief operating officer at ScienceLogic, according to the Post, an information technology company that monitors networks for private and government clients.

“There was an early on belief that they may be out of town,” Capt. Russ Davies told WTOP. “So far we have not been able to verify that.”

No injuries to firefighters have been reported. The cause of the blaze is not yet known.

The Anne Arundel County Fire/Explosive Investigation Bureau will be the lead investigating agency for the incident. Investigators were unable to enter the structure Monday because of hotspots and structural integrity issues that prevented an earlier search for occupants.

So far, there no indications that the fire is suspicious in nature, the department said on its Facebook page. Beacause of the size of the dwelling and the number of people missing, assistance has been requested from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Response Team.

The fire department plans to hold a press conference at the site at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. Patch will update this story as more details are released.

Photos: Anne Arundel County Fire Department on Facebook.

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