Home accident leaves Pocatello family homeless

POCATELLO –- It had been a fairly normal day when Troy Wellard and his family went to bed last Wednesday night. Then, a tragic turn of events made that day a life-changing one.

While Troy and his family were sleeping, the boiler in the home they were renting over pressurized and blew up.

“I woke up to my ears ringing in the dark,” Wellard told EastIdahoNews.com. “Super hot steam filled the air all around us.”

The ceiling above them exploded, blowing out walls and windows. The blast also caused major damage to the water and gas lines.

The Pocatello Fire Department estimates damages to the home are between $20,000 to $50,000.

Wellard and his family of five walked away unharmed but are now homeless, facing months of extensive repairs.

Renters insurance is providing them with a hotel room, but they have a little more than a month to find a place to live.

“Because we have three children living with us we need a four bedroom house to rent,” Wellard says.

According to a Facebook post from Wellard, he and his family are also looking for a place that accepts pets, and they are asking for your help.

“We are not having any luck so far and we are running out of time. We will come up with money to pay what we need to, but we do need more eyes on this problem as ours are becoming so tired,” Wellard says on Facebook.

One week prior to the explosion Troy had suffered a ruptured appendix and had just been home from the hospital a few days before the incident.

Anyone wishing to help, can speak with the Wellard family in the embedded Facebook post above.