By KASEY JONES, Associated Press | January 19, 2015 | Updated: January 19, 2015 12:03pm
BALTIMORE (AP) — A four-alarm fire has gutted a 16,000-square-foot mansion in Maryland early Monday, and firefighters say the occupants are unaccounted for.
The fire in Annapolis was reported about 3:30 a.m. by an alarm monitoring company and a neighbor who saw flames, according to Capt. Russ Davies, spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Fire Department.
Some 85 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.
Because of the intensity of the fire, the size of the house and the failure of the roof and floors, firefighters were not able to search the structure, Davies said.
The fire was brought under control about 7 a.m., Davies, said, but firefighters were still putting out hot spots at noon and would continue to do so.
The department has not been able to account for the home's residents, Davies said. There were reports that the occupants were out of town, but efforts to reach them were unsuccessful as of Monday afternoon. Davies does not know how many people live in the home.
According to state property records, the two-story house was built in 2005 and had seven bedrooms and 7 ½ bathrooms.
Davies says the cause of the fire, which caused "multiple millions" of dollars in damage, has not been determined.
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