LINCOLNVILLE — The Maine Office of Public Safety said the cause of the fire that killed Virginia Dyer, 79, and her 81-year-old husband, Eugene Dyer, Aug. 15, has been deemed undetermined due to the extent of damage.

“The elderly married couple was pronounced dead at the scene. The fire appears to have started in a connected storage area of the home between the house and the garage. A team of three fire investigators worked through the night to try and determine the cause of the fire,” said Public Safety spokesman Steve McCausland, in a Sunday afternoon news release.

McCausland on Monday said that the Dyers both died from smoke inhalation.

He also said that while the cause of the fire has been ruled undetermined, there is nothing to indicate the cause is anything other than an accident.

The Maine Fire Marshal’s Office has been investigating the cause of the Saturday night house fire in Lincolnville that claimed the lives of two people, whose identities were withheld until Sunday afternoon, pending autopsies with the state Medical Examiner’s Office.

Lincolnville Fire Department was called out just after 10:30 p.m., Aug. 15, to a passerby’s report of a house on fire at 2 Virginia Drive, off Route 1 in the vicinity of Dyer’s Detail. It was reported that one person had gotten out, but another family member was still inside and unaccounted for.

That call prompted mutual aid from Camden and Northport, as well as North East Mobile Health Services and an ambulance from Rockland for backup.

Lincolnville Fire Chief Ben Hazen said the first responder on the scene, Deputy Chief Don Fullington Jr., confirmed it as a structure fire. Camden had one of the first trucks there with Lincolnville’s Engine 1. Eventually, Lincolnville had 13 people at the scene, Camden had a crew of eight people on scene and five at their station and Northport had six assisting up the road with water delivery.

Hazen said that Eugene Dyer, who was initially found on the ground just outside the front door, was saying a few things, including that there was still someone inside the home. A family member that lives in the immediate area also said told firefighters that somebody was still in the bedroom, said Hazen.

Camden Fire Chief Chris Farley said that when his Engine 5 arrived, firefighters Todd Anderson and Bob French Jr. were asked to check the house, if possible, to look for anybody still inside.

“They went in the front window, to the right of the front door, and did not find the woman on the bed, but they did find her on the floor,” said Farley. “She was pulled out of the window and Todd and Bob did CPR on her for probably 20-30 minutes until relived by North East Mobile Health and Rockport Fire ambulance crews.”

Farley said that while Anderson and French were performing CPR on Virginia Dyer, the first crew from NEH was doing CPR on Eugene Dyer, as he had lost consciousness soon afterward he was found on the ground and pulled to safety.

Hazen said that two dogs in the home both made it out.

“One of the dogs was unconscious and seemed like it was dead but as soon as it got out into the fresh it perked right up and was OK,” said Hazen.

Central Maine Power was called to the scene to shut off power to the area, and Hazen said that the fire had already consumed the garage and kitchen, and had moved into the kitchen space well before firefighters were on scene.

He also said that he asked French if he remembered hearing smoke or fire alarms when he was inside the house searching for Virginia Dyer, and he reported that he did not.

Hazen said there was some ammunition inside the house, and at least one of the truck’s tires in the driveway exploded at the height of the fire. He said that the truck was destroyed in the fire, along with the home.

Three investigators from the state Fire Marshal’s Office responded to Hazen’s call for a response, due to the deaths.

Fire Marshal’s Sgt. Kenneth Grimes said Sunday morning that once the autopsies had been scheduled, the identities of the deceased would be released. He also said information about the possible cause would be released later that day.

Camden Fire was on scene until around 2 p.m. and Lincolnville firefighters remained until about 4 a.m. putting out hot spots and helping preserve the scene for the investigators. After a trip for some coffee, Hazen said they drove by the house again later in this morning and noticed some smoldering debris, so they stopped to put it out before it could rekindle any remaining burnable material.

Reach Editorial Director Holly S. Edwards at hollyedwards@penbaypilot.com and 706-6655.