A woman who lost six family members in an Annapolis house fire has become a fire safety advocate.
Sher Grogg lost her brother, Don Pyle, in a January 2015 house fire. Pyle's wife, Sandy, and four grandchildren ranging in ages from 6 to 8 were also killed.
"I will carry that cold, dark day with me always. The hole in my heart is everlasting,'' Grogg said in a video for the fire-safety awareness group, Common Voices.
A 15-foot, aging and dry Christmas tree fueled the massive mansion fire. Investigators found a "highly localized" melted plug within an electrical outlet in the area where the Christmas tree had been.
"Smoke detectors were state-of-the-art and connected to the alarm system. The house was built like a veritable fortress, but no one made it out alive,'' Grogg said, adding that the home didn't have sprinklers. She urged anyone building a new house to include them.
Common Voices has launched a holiday safety campaign called "Do it For Don'' in memory of Don Pyle.
