Couple, 4 Grandkids Feared Dead in Mansion Fire

Technology exec Don Pyle, his wife, and four grandchildren are feared dead in a huge blaze that destroyed a mansion in Annapolis. Some 85 firefighters spent hours early Monday morning battling the fire at the 16,000-square-foot castle-like home, using tanker trucks and a fire boat because there were no hydrants near the secluded property, CNN reports. Firefighters who tried to enter unburned areas had to retreat as both the floor and roof collapsed, officials say. The Pyles and their grandchildren are unaccounted for and 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," a fire department spokesman says.

The cause of the blaze is unknown, and because of the size of it, up to 20 ATF agents will be assisting the county fire department—which says foul play is not suspected—in its investigation, reports the Baltimore Sun. Pyle, 55, was COO at ScienceLogic, a cybersecurity firm that monitors networks for clients, including the Pentagon, the Washington Post reports. Neighbors describe the couple, who had two adult sons, as lovely, helpful people. "Tragedy. Someone has lost their parents and their children at the same time, which is very sad," a neighbor tells WBAL. (More Maryland stories.)