Officials to comb through fire-ravaged Maryland home; several feared dead

A day after a four-alarm fire tore through a large Maryland house, a team of local and federal officials are set to comb through debris as worries mount that several people may have been killed.

A team from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives will help investigate the scene, said Owen McEvoy, a spokesman for Anne Arundel County.

“It’s just going to take more time. We know there are concerns, but it will just need to take time for our team of investigators to work this scene,” McEvoy said.

Based on information from relatives, six people linked to the 16,000-square-foot home outside Annapolis, Md., are unaccounted for, McEvoy said.

The waterfront property is the principal residence of owners Donald and Sandra Pyle, according to information from the state Department of Assessments and Taxation.

Last fall, Donald Pyle was named chief operating officer of ScienceLogic, a Virginia maker of cloud computing software, according to the Associated Press.

Officials from the local fire department said they learned of the fire about 3:30 a.m. Monday and it took hours to bring the flames under control.

One complication of battling the fire was the lack of hydrants in the area, Anne Arundel County Fire Capt. Russ Davies told the local television station WBAL.

“There’s no water supply back here, so anything we’re using to fight the fire, we’ve had to bring to the scene,” Davies said, adding that they used tankers and a fire boat.

Property damage is estimated to be millions of dollars, said fire department officials.

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