Family needs help after home fire

The Daily Inter Lake

A Kalispell woman is taking donations to help former Flathead Valley residents who lost all their belongings in a house fire last weekend.

Shane Pierson, his wife, Bonnie, and their three children were visiting relatives in Kalispell when their home in Seeley Lake caught fire Feb. 21. The fire department thinks it may have been sparked by faulty wiring, said Lena Westphal, Bonnie's sister.

The Piersons were in the middle of dinner at Shane's father's house when they got the call that they had lost everything, Westphal said.

"It was just a devastating moment for everyone," she said. "I'm just thankful they weren't in there at the time."

A Seeley Lake motel put the family up free until they could find an apartment. The Piersons have found a place to stay for a few months until they can get their old home pulled out and put something new in its place, Westphal said.

In the meantime, they're making due on the wages Bonnie Pierson earns at her job at a Seeley Lake grocery store. Her husband, a Desert Storm veteran, ran a heating and cooling business until a disability forced him to stop working.

"Right now, they really have no money," Westphal said. "The only thing they have to go back to is Bonnie's job."

Her sister has had to take time off from work to cope with the situation, she added.

"There's just really a need at the time," she said. "It's just a bummer, you know?"

Westphal is coordinating an effort to help her sister's family get back on their feet.

"It's hard to call people and ask for things when you're so devastated," she said. "We're just looking for prayers and some financial support or donations, toys - you know, just everything. They lost absolutely everything."

Kitchen items and appliances have been hard to find, she said, as have some pieces of furniture, particularly dressers. The youngest child, Alex, 10, lost all his toys in the fire.

"They're devastated and kind of overwhelmed," Westphal said. "It's just a bad situation."

First Valley Bank in Seeley Lake has set up an account in the Piersons' name. People interested in giving to the account can send it to the bank, which may be contacted at 406-677-2464, or can drop it off at Westphal's home at 128 Birch Drive in Evergreen.

For more information or ideas on how to help, contact Westphal at 212-3976.