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Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Christmas tree fueled Maryland house fire that killed 6

Associated Press

MILLERSVILLE, Md. – 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, investigators said Wednesday.

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 two minutes of the report to the alarm-monitoring company.

Some 85 firefighters from several jurisdictions fought the four-alarm fire, which burned for three hours before it could be contained. Charlotte and Wes Boone were sister and brother. Lexi and Katie were sisters. The cousins’ fathers, Randy and Clint Boone, were the sons of Sandra Pyle, 63.