6 missing family members may have been in Maryland mansion fire

ANNAPOLIS, Md. - A fire official says the relatives of six family members unaccounted for after a massive fire gutted a waterfront mansion believe they were inside at the time of the blaze.

Anne Arundel County Fire Capt. Russ Davies said Tuesday that the charred mansion is the primary focus of the search for the six missing family members. Davies has declined to identify them. On Tuesday, he wouldn't give further details about what their relatives said or why they believe the family was inside the mansion.

Additionally, CBS Baltimore reports that a letter from the headmaster at the Severn School -- where the children attended -- said IT executive Don Pyle, his wife Sandy and their four grandchildren perished in the fire at 936 Childs Point Road.

However, fire officials have yet to confirm this information.

"We know who's unaccounted for," Davies on Tuesday. "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."

Federal investigators are traveling to the scene from across the country. Davies says a search will begin when crews stabilize the structure and pump out tens of thousands of gallons of water from the basement - likely Wednesday.

The blaze reduced the multimillion-dollar mansion near Maryland's capital to a scorched stone framework Monday.

The fire, which began around 3:30 a.m. Monday morning, quickly ripped through the 16,000 square-foot home damaging floors and floors so quickly, it was impossible for firefighters to conduct a search safely Monday.

Davies added that hot spots took another ten hours to extinguish before operations were scaled back around nightfall.

Online records of the Maryland Department of Assessments and Taxation list Don and Sandra Pyle as owners of the home, which the records say is their principal residence. Don Pyle was named chief operating officer of ScienceLogic last fall. The company, based in Reston, Virginia, makes software for cloud computing.

Yama Habibzai, a spokesman for ScienceLogic, confirmed in an email to The Associated Press there was a fire at Pyle's home early Monday and that it's under investigation. He said the company had no further comment.