An electrical fire that spread to a 15-foot Christmas tree prompted a blaze that reduced a 16,000-square-foot riverfront mansion near Maryland’s capital to ruins, killing a couple and four of their young grandchildren, reports The Associated Press.
The fire ignited combustible material, probably a tree skirt, and tore through the massive, castle-like structure in the early morning hours of Jan. 19.
Anne Arundel County Fire Chief Allan Graves said the tree had been cut more than 60 days before the blaze and was in a “great room” of the house with 19-foot ceilings.
“The involvement of the Christmas tree explains the heavy fire conditions found by the first arriving fire crews,” Graves said.
Investigators on Wednesday identified the victims as Don and Sandra Pyle and their grandchildren: Charlotte Boone, 8; Wes Boone, 6; Lexi Boone, 8, and Katie Boone, 7. Don Pyle, 56, was chief operating officer of ScienceLogic in Reston,Virginia.
The fire was reported about 3:30 a.m. Jan. 19 by an alarm-monitoring company, reporting smoke had been detected inside, and a neighbor who spotted flames. The home had smoke detectors, and there was no indication they did not work, said Deputy Chief Scott Hoglander of the Anne Arundel County fire marshal’s office.
The big tree fueled the fire, which spread rapidly. The 911 call from a neighbor came within 2 minutes of the report to the alarm-monitoring company.
“I think it’s more about the actual fuel load of the Christmas tree and the output of energy and heat from that particular fuel load that caused the rapid fire spread,” Hoglander said. “It really had nothing to do with the building construction itself.”
The investigation found that a failure in an electrical outlet in the floor that provided power to the tree produced heat that ignited something combustible, probably a tree skirt, said Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
Some 85 firefighters from several jurisdictions fought the four-alarm fire, which burned for three hours before it could be contained. Because there was no hydrant in the area, firefighters shuttled tankers to the site and stationed a fire boat at a pier nearby.
调查人员带狗来寻找尸体和证据，例如加速剂，并进行了50多次访谈。比尔·麦克穆兰（Bill McMullan），美国巴尔的摩现场办公室的特工酒精，烟草，枪支和炸药局, said the investigation concluded the fire was the result of “a tragic accident that occurred at the absolutely worst possible time, while the Pyles and their grandchildren were sleeping.”
Hoglander declined to mention a specific cause of death, because officials have not received an official report back from the state medical examiner’s office.
一位儿童父母的女发言人说，大火前的第二天，祖父母在带中世纪主题餐厅吃晚饭之前买了孩子服装。
夏洛特（Charlotte）和韦斯·布恩（Wes Boone）是妹妹和兄弟。Lexi和Katie是姐妹；他们有一个新生的兄弟，他和他的父母兰迪（Randy）和史黛西·布恩（Stacey Boone）一起回家。堂兄的父亲兰迪（Randy）和克林特·布恩（Clint Boone）是63岁的桑德拉·皮尔（Sandra Pyle）的儿子。四个孩子是塞弗纳公园（Severna Park）的塞文学校（Severn School）的学生。
The Boone family said in a statement Tuesday, following the discovery Monday of the sixth body at the house that they were “relieved that our loved ones have all been recovered.”
声明说：“尽管我们深感悲痛，但这给我们带来了一些小小的封闭感。”“我们感到安慰，他们现在在一起，我们可以开始修补我们的心。”
The Pyles built the home in 2005, four years before the county began requiring sprinkler systems in new homes. Hoglander said he believes sprinklers would have made a difference.
他说：“我毫无疑问地说。”
这座耗资600万美元的物业曾经拥有炮塔，螺旋楼梯，狮子雕像，庞大的草坪和森林土地。仍然存在的所有类似于殖民地的废墟：砖墙缺少窗户和一座燃烧的碎屑。
当消防部门，美国酒精，烟草，枪支和炸药的调查人员以及州消防元帅办公室调查了现场时，社区成员为物业外的一个小纪念馆带来了纸币和泰迪熊。在将铁门旁边的砖柱上方的砖柱上，仍然显示了圣诞节装饰品。
