Tragedy struck a Burien family last week as the region recovered slowly from the Dec. 14-15 windstorm that downed power lines and left 1.5 million people shivering in the dark.

Khanh Tran, 46; his wife, Dan Thuy Nguyen, 44; and two sons, 21-year-old Quyen Tran and 14-year-old John Quoc Tran, were found dead in their north Burien home on Dec. 18, the victims of carbon monoxide poisoning.

A third son, Doanh Tran, 24, was in critical condition at Harborview Medical Center. Tran had been working two jobs to bring his young wife and month-old son to the United States from Vietnam.

King County Sheriff's spokesman Sgt. John Urquhart said the carbon monoxide poisoning was apparently caused by a generator run from the garage during the power outage.

Urquhart said the deaths were discovered by deputies who had been asked by relatives to check on the family.

Six people, including the members of the Tran family, died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the wake of the storm, which lashed Western Washington with gale-force winds.

Several other people in the region narrowly escaped death from the fumes. Many were burning coal or charcoal in small stoves inside their homes. All were treated at local hospitals.

The members of the Tran family were the only storm-related deaths reported in the Highline area as of Dec. 21.

No estimates of property damage just in Highline were reported last week. Throughout the region, however, losses were estimated at $500 million and mounting.

Most electricity to the Highline area was cut off early the morning of Dec. 15 when winds were the strongest. The disruptions curtailed local activities for about 36 hours, with service to large areas of Des Moines and SeaTac and neighborhood power grids elsewhere out for several days.

Service had been restored to most Highline customers, served by Puget Sound Energy and Seattle City Light, by Dec. 20.

In the meantime, The Landmark on the Sound in Des Moines opened its doors to the Red Cross, which sheltered and fed more than 150 people.

"Many generous citizens have stepped up and helped feed and shelter folks, even before the Red Cross got there," said Vickie L. Bergquist, a local businesswoman and volunteer with the agency.

Fire and police departments and city crews were working with utility crews to speed recovery from the storm locally.

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler said, "City crews have been working ... with Puget Sound Energy to get roads cleared and power lines back up, and our police department and fire district have been checking to make sure that people at risk, such as the elderly and disabled, are getting the help they need."