PORTLAND, Ore. -- A family of four with Portland ties died in a freak accident at an Aspen mansion last weekend.

Parker and Caroline Lofgren along with their two children, Owen and Sophie, were found dead Friday from carbon asphyxiation in a home in the ritzy Colorado ski resort area.

The Lofgrens had bought a weekend stay at the $8.9 million home on three acres just east of Aspen in a church auction, according to a Denver Associated Press report.

Parker Lofgren, 39, was an investment banker in Denver but he grew up in the Portland area and graduated from Jesuit High School in 1987.

Investigators say the home's hot water and snow melt systems malfunctioned, causing extreme levels of carbon monoxide in the house.

The Lofgrens were described by local news as a “prominent socialite Denver family who devoted their time to causes they believed in.”

“They were people who got involved in the things they truly cared about. They were just good people,” family friend Elizabeth Milias told the Rocky Mountain News.

Owen Lofgren was 10 years old and younger sister Sophie was 8.

Carbon monoxide is poisonous, colorless, odorless gas that can be produced by any fuel-burning appliance and is one of the leading causes of accidental poisoning in North America, according to the American Association of Poison Control Centers.