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| Dry Christmas tree likely fueled Annapolis mansion fire that killed six | Dry Christmas tree likely fueled Annapolis mansion fire that killed six |
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| A massive, dry Christmas tree likely fueled the Annapolis fire that reduced a $6 million mansion to rubble and killed four young children and their grandparents last week, a person familiar with the case said Wednesday. | A massive, dry Christmas tree likely fueled the Annapolis fire that reduced a $6 million mansion to rubble and killed four young children and their grandparents last week, a person familiar with the case said Wednesday. |
| Anne Arundel County fire officials planned to release the news at a 4 p.m. press conference, but it was leaked earlier in the day. Though what sparked the tree remained unclear, its central role provided the first insight into the cause of the blaze that left mansion owners Don and Sandra Pyle dead along with the four Boone children: Lexi, 8; Katie, 7; and their first cousins, Charlotte, 8; and Wes, 6. | |
| All six died of smoke inhalation, said the person familiar with the case, who added that the tree may have been inside the house for two months. | All six died of smoke inhalation, said the person familiar with the case, who added that the tree may have been inside the house for two months. |
| The size of the tree — it was 20 feet tall, according to someone close to the family — combined with the oxygen available in the large, open spaces of the 16,000-square-foot home likely created an inferno. It may have been so big and fast-moving that it was nearly impossible for the Pyles and the Boone children to escape, the person familiar with the case said. | |
| One of the deadliest fires in Maryland in years began with a sleepover Jan. 18 at the Pyles’ waterfront home, which was built to resemble a castle, with turrets, statues of winged lions, a suit of armor and antler chandeliers. Don, a 56-year-old tech executive, and Sandra, 63, had taken their grandchildren to Medieval Times at the Arundel Mills mall, where they watched knights jousting and ate banquet food before returning to their own castle that night. The fire broke out at about 3:30 a.m. and burned for three hours before more than 80 firefighters could contain the flames. | |
| Left behind are brothers Clint and Randy Boone, who each lost two children as well as their mother and stepfather in a single night. | Left behind are brothers Clint and Randy Boone, who each lost two children as well as their mother and stepfather in a single night. |
| Clint, 37, and his ex-wife, Eve Morrison, 39, are parents to Charlotte and Wes. | Clint, 37, and his ex-wife, Eve Morrison, 39, are parents to Charlotte and Wes. |
| Randy, 38, and Stacey, 34 — parents to Lexi and Katie — also have a newborn son, who was at home with them the night of the fire. | Randy, 38, and Stacey, 34 — parents to Lexi and Katie — also have a newborn son, who was at home with them the night of the fire. |
| All four children were students at the private Severn School, where the family was such a fixture that a parking space was marked, “Reserved for Pyle Family.” | |
| Crews spent six days sifting through concrete, charred wood and ash as they painstakingly searched for the six, whom relatives reported missing after the four-alarm fire. Investigators found five bodies within the first 72 hours of the search, and worked through the weekend — in rain and snow — before recovering the final body Monday. | Crews spent six days sifting through concrete, charred wood and ash as they painstakingly searched for the six, whom relatives reported missing after the four-alarm fire. Investigators found five bodies within the first 72 hours of the search, and worked through the weekend — in rain and snow — before recovering the final body Monday. |
| Anne Arundel received help with the massive search effort from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Fire Marshal’s Office and several neighboring jurisdictions. | Anne Arundel received help with the massive search effort from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the state Fire Marshal’s Office and several neighboring jurisdictions. |
| Authorities said they were handling the scene of the fire as a criminal investigation, which they added was standard until they officially ruled out foul play. | Authorities said they were handling the scene of the fire as a criminal investigation, which they added was standard until they officially ruled out foul play. |
| The Pyle mansion had no sprinklers installed, county fire officials said. The home was built four years before Anne Arundel began to require them in new residential houses in 2009. | The Pyle mansion had no sprinklers installed, county fire officials said. The home was built four years before Anne Arundel began to require them in new residential houses in 2009. |
| Starting in June, Maryland will become the second state in the country — after California — to require sprinklers in all new residential buildings. | Starting in June, Maryland will become the second state in the country — after California — to require sprinklers in all new residential buildings. |
| The Boone family has been devastated by the fire. | |
| “I never knew that I could hurt this badly. It’s unreal,” Stacey wrote in a Facebook post last week. “All one big nightmare that I can’t wake up from.” | |
| On Tuesday, the family again released a statement thanking firefighters who have searched for their loved ones and the community for its support. | |
| “Though we are grieving deeply, this has brought us some small sense of closure,” the family said in a statement. “We take comfort in that they are now together, and we can begin to mend our hearts.” | “Though we are grieving deeply, this has brought us some small sense of closure,” the family said in a statement. “We take comfort in that they are now together, and we can begin to mend our hearts.” |
| john.cox@washpost.com | john.cox@washpost.com |
| Read more: Photos of the castle lost in the flames Painstaking search for six bodies after an mansion fire is finally over Heart-breaking details on the grandparents and four grandchildren |