ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — Investigators found the bodies of two unidentified people Wednesday in the charred remains of an Annapolis-area mansion that burned to the ground earlier this week, a fire official said.
Anne Arundel Fire Department spokesman Capt. Russ Davies said cadaver dogs and searchers found the bodies. He said four people remain unaccounted for.
The bodies have been taken to the medical examiner's office in Baltimore for identification. Davies said he did not know how long it would take to identify the victims and determine their cause of death. He would not say whether the bodies were of adults or children.
Property records show the home is owned by Sandra and Don Pyles.
They and four grandchildren have been missing since crews were called early Monday to the scene of the blaze, which reduced a 16,000-square-foot waterfront castle to ruins. Officials said Tuesday that relatives believed the family was inside the mansion when it caught fire.
Investigators began excavating the ruins Wednesday.
Davies was accompanied at the Wednesday news conference by several other officials, including Anne Arundel County State's Attorney Wes Adams, County Executive Steve Schuh, local police and fire officials and an agent from the federal bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives
The fire was reported about 3:30 a.m. Monday by an alarm-monitoring company and a neighbor who spotted flames. Officials said it is unclear whether an alarm sounded inside the home, which might have alerted anyone inside.
Some 85 firefighters from several jurisdictions fought the fire. Davies said because there was no hydrant in the area, firefighters shuttled tankers to the site and stationed a fire boat at a pier nearby. Davies said hot spots took about 10 hours to extinguish Monday. One area flared up Tuesday, and Davies said crews were monitoring it and extinguishing it as needed.
Special Agent David Cheplak, a spokesman for the ATF's Baltimore field office, said earlier this week there were no immediate signs of foul play.
However, Capt. Robert Howarth, commander of the county fire department's fire and explosives investigation unit, said Tuesday that investigators were treating the site as a crime scene. Howarth said that is a common practice when there are no eyewitnesses, and it means only that anything recovered in the investigation would be admissible in court.
According to a 2008 story in The Baltimore Sun, the Pyles' house, which was the site of a charity event, was described as looking like a castle, with mini-turrets, stonework and lion statues.
State property records said the two-story house was built in 2005 with its seven bedrooms and 7 1/2 bathrooms, then listed at $4.2 million. Davis said Tuesday that the house did not have a sprinkler system installed.
Copyright 2014 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. (PHOTO: Anne Arundel Co. Fire Dept.)
