ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) – Six members of a family were unaccounted for after a fierce fire reduced a multimillion-dollar waterfront mansion near Maryland’s capital to a scorched stone framework. Two teddy bears and flowers now rest near the front gate and teary-eyed neighbors have stopped by.
On Tuesday, federal fire investigators were expected to arrive after first light, seeking a cause for the flames that gutted the 16,000-square foot home with seven bedrooms and 7 ½ baths. The flames took hours to put out Monday after the fire began before dawn on the outskirts of Annapolis.
“We know who’s unaccounted for,” said Capt. Russ Davies, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. “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.”
He said the search for possible victims of the fire may not begin until Wednesday, partially because federal investigators were traveling to the scene from across the country. The structure also was unstable and tens of thousands of gallons of water needed to be pumped out of the basement before the search begins, Davies said.
By Tuesday, there was no word yet on the unaccounted family members.