Fire officials say all indications are that all six family members unaccounted for after a massive fire in Annapolis were inside the home at the time of the fire.
All efforts to contact the family have been unsuccessful, and the Maryland home was their last known location, officials said. Two adults and four children are missing, including students of Severn Lower School in Severna Park, which was closed Tuesday to offer grief counseling.
Woods Presbyterian Church opened its sanctuary for prayers to comfort those who are grieving.
Heavy equipment will be brought to the scene to help remove debris over the next few days. Crews will face major challenges as the entire home has "collapsed" and will need shoring up to search.
Although there is no sign of foul play, it is being handled as a crime scene because there is no indication how or where it started and there are no witnesses.
Fire officials say the home did not have a sprinkler system. An alarm monitoring company and a neighbor who saw flames reported the fire in the 900 block of Childs Point Road in Annapolis about 3:30 a.m. Monday, according to Capt. Russ Davies, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department. When firefighters arrived, they found heavy smoke and flames through the first floor, second floor and roof of the home.
U.S. & World
Eighty-five firefighters from the county, the city of Annapolis and other jurisdictions battled the blaze, Davies said. Because there was not a fire hydrant in the area, firefighters shuttled water tankers to the site and stationed a fire boat at a pier near the property to bring in water.
Water supply operation at Childs Point. pic.twitter.com/hWnk6g8bmA
— Anne Arundel Fire (@AACoFD) January 19, 2015The intensity of the fire, the size of the house and the failure of the roof and floors prevented firefighters from searching the structure, Davies said. Fire officials have said the fire was the equivalent to five homes and was more like a commercial fire.
Davies 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.
Teddy bears and flowers now rest near the front gate and teary-eyed neighbors have stopped by.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives sent 15-20 agents to investigate because of the size and scope of the scene, News4's Darcy Spencer reported.
Special Agent David Cheplak, a spokesman for the ATF's Baltimore field office, said local fire officials asked for help.
"The Anne Arundel County Fire Department had asked for our assistance, and so we've activated our national response team, which is a team comprised of special agents, certified fire investigators from across the country, and they respond to large-scale fires nationally," Cheplak said.
Cheplak said there was no evidence at this point of foul play.
The cause of the fire is not known at this time.
![[NATL-PHL] Pennsylvania University Basketball Player Likely Inhaled Chewing Gum in Sleep](https://ots.nbcwpshield.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/DallasWiensthumb092611_722x406_2145286004.jpg?fit=722%2C406){kind=link}