Six Missing Following Md. Mansion Blaze; Search Suspended

Jan. 20--Firefighters suspended their search Monday afternoon for six people who remained missing after a raging four-alarm fire at a mansion south of Annapolis.

The Anne Arundel County Fire Department has requested help from the National Response Team at the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, said Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the fire department.

He said the team can provide special equipment needed to remove steel bars that collapsed into the basement of the two-story structure. Davies said the equipment needed for the heavy lifting may not be in place until Wednesday.

David Cheplak, an ATF spokesman at the scene, said they are providing help in part due to the size of the residence, which he said was similar to a church or warehouse. He said about 15 to 20 ATF agents will be involved, but Anne Arundel fireofficials will continue to lead the investigation.

Meanwhile, fire crews Monday evening remained on the scene of the estate dousing hot spots that continued to flare up. Davies said a fire crew and police officers will remain on the site overnight to maintain security.

He said efforts continue to contact some of the missing people by their cellphones, but so far they have received no response.

"From the family, we know who's unaccounted for," Davies said, though he declined to say who specifically could not be located. "If you look at the damage, you know, it would not be a stretch to think that if there were occupants that they did not survive the fire."

Earlier Monday Davies said that "there's a possibility that they're out of town, but we are operating under the premise that there were people inside."

Fire dispatchers began receiving calls at 3:30 a.m. about a blaze at 936 Childs Point Road, about a mile south of Forest Drive. The first call came from a home security company.

The 16,000-square-foot home was "heavily involved," Davies said, and firefighters weren't able to enter due to smoke and flames. The structure also was collapsing.

Fire officials immediately called for second and third alarms. Due to the size of the house, the extent of the fire and a lack of a nearby fire hydrant, a fourth alarm was sounded a short time later.

More than 80 firefighters from several jurisdictions battled the blaze. With no fire hydrants in the area, tanker trucks and a fire boat were brought in, some from as far away as Prince George's County, Davies said.

The fire wasn't placed under control until 7:05 a.m. The home was destroyed.

Tax records show the home and property were worth $6.2 million.

The home, which sits on eight acres along Church Creek, is owned by Don and Sandra Pyle and was built in 2005, according to state property tax records.

Tax records did not indicate how many bedrooms were in the home, but did say it had seven and a half bathrooms.

Neighbors referred to the house as "the castle." The couple's mailbox is in the shape of a castle.

A representative of White and Williams LLP, a Philadelphia law firm that represents AIG, the company that insured the property, told The Capital the property was worth $13.9 million.

Davies said firefighters now may not be able to enter basement of the residence where most of thefire debris is located until Tuesday or Wednesday, depending on when the special equipment arrives and hot spots are extinguished.

A cause has not yet been determined, but foul play isn't suspected, Davies said.

There were two fatal fires in the county last year.

Keith Murray, who lives nearby, said the neighborhood is "pretty frantic" as residents await information about the Pyles.

County Executive Steve Schuh arrived on the scene and said "We are hoping and praying there is no loss of life."

Manfried Leckszes, who lives about 500 yards from the home, said he woke up at 4:30 a.m. and noticed an orange glow in his bedroom. He said he looked outside and saw the fire, and then a fireboat coming up the creek from the South River.

"It was like an inferno," he said. "The flames seemed to shoot straight up."

Another neighbor, Anne Tiffany, described the Pyles as "lovely people."

"They've always been kind to me," she said.

Neighbor Caroline Wugofski said the Pyles often held parties at their home. She described them as "genuinely nice people."

"When my husband died, I was in a state of shock, but Don said, 'How can I help you?' " she said.

"If you needed a good friend, they would step in."

According to an Oct. 12, 2014, interview in The Washington Post, Don Pyle is the chief operating officer of ScienceLogic, a Reston-based IT company that monitors the networks of corporations and government agencies to ensure they run efficiently. The story said the 55-year-old Pyle resides in Annapolis with his wife Sandy.

A representative of ScienceLogic told The Capital that Pyle had two adult sons.

The Baltimore Business Journal's online archive says the Pyles hosted the fourth annual Ripkens Uncorked Wine Tasting at their home in 2010. The event raised $140,000 for the Cal Ripken Sr. Foundation.

A check of The Capital's online archives shows Don Pyle obtained a $42,380 grading permit in 2012 for a steep slope stabilization project on the property.

Editor Brian Henley and staff writer Chase Cook contributed to this story.

Copyright 2015 - The Capital, Annapolis, Md.