Two more bodies found at fire-ravaged Maryland mansion

Two more bodies have been found in the wreckage of a Maryland mansion destroyed in a Monday fire, fire officials said Thursday, leaving a total of four bodies found and two people still unaccounted for.

Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department, said all four bodies found in the 16,000-square-foot Annapolis home have been taken to Baltimore for autopsies and identification.

Investigators do not believe the blaze was suspicious in nature, but Davies said the fire department had not determined an exact cause of the fire.

The waterfront property was the principal residence of owners Donald and Sandra Pyle, according to information from the Maryland 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.

Relatives have told fire officials that the Pyles and four of their grandchildren were last seen at the home Sunday night, according to Davies.

The design of the Pyles’ home has made the search for victims difficult, according to Davies, who said the roof and top two floors of the structure collapsed into the basement. The home was also built with several steel beams that weigh at least seven tons, making it incredibly difficult to move debris.

“We’re at a disadvantage because it’s such a large structure,” Davies said this week. “We have no eyewitnesses.”

Firefighters became aware of the blaze after an alarm system in the home was tripped. Several 911 calls were made, but none came from within the house, Davies said.

Thursday’s search for victims was called off around 5 p.m. Eastern time as darkness fell, but it will resume Friday, the Fire Department said.

Times staff writer James Queally contributed to this report.

For more news, follow @raablauren on Twitter.