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Lafayette Hill couple summering in Maine dies from carbon-monoxide poisoning after Irene knocks out power

Hurricane Irene's death toll increased by two Wednesday after Maine officials released the names of an elderly Lafayette Hill couple who died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from an emergency generator at their summer home at Sebago Lake.

Hurricane Irene's death toll increased by two Wednesday after Maine officials released the names of an elderly Lafayette Hill couple who died of apparent carbon monoxide poisoning from an emergency generator at their summer home at Sebago Lake.

Lewis S. Somers III, 85, and his wife, Elizabeth, 84, of Foxhound Drive, were discovered Tuesday inside their house in Raymond, where a propane generator in the basement was running because the storm that roared through Maine on Sunday knocked out electricity for more than 48 hours on their lakeside cove.

Investigators said a neighbor who went to check on the couple Tuesday found them unconscious. Firefighters who responded wearing oxygen packs took readings with a carbon monoxide detector and found the levels "over the maximum on the meter," said assistant fire chief Bruce Tupper. Investigators said the generator had a permanent connection to an exterior exhaust system and it was not immediately clear what went wrong.

Andrew Smith, Maine's state toxicologist, told reporters that a single gas-powered generator can produce as much toxic carbon monoxide exhaust as 100 idling automobiles.

Rob McAleer, director of Maine's Emergency Management Agency, said the deaths were the first confirmed fatalities in Maine caused by the storm.

"They were dear people," said Betty McDermott, a Raymond neighbor who, like Elizabeth Somers, participated in the town's Hawthorne Garden Club. In addition to being a popular place to summer, Raymond was the boyhood home of the novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne. The town's year-round population of 5,000 jumps to 12,000 in the summer months.

McDermott said the couple also were active in the local Raymond-Casco Historical Society and recently made a significant contribution to its endowment.

Raymond neighbors said Lewis Somers III owned a medical supply company. The couple had two sons and a daughter.

"He loved the lake," said his friend Wayne Holmquist. "He liked to ride around in his blue Jaguar convertible."

Holmquist's wife, Anita, frequently played bridge with Elizabeth Somers. The two couples attended Raymond Village Protestant Church, where Mrs. Somers sometimes sang in the choir, joined by her daughter when she visited.

Said Wayne Holmquist: "They were just good folk."