People from the Lapoint community and surrounding areas are rallying around members of the Troy Bergstrom family, who have had to deal with a health crisis and a fire that significantly damaged their home all in the same month.

An estimated 600 to 1,000 people attended a benefit for the Bergstroms on Saturday night in Lapoint.

“The response was awesome,” said Cathy Horrocks, one of the event organizers. “Every chair was filled. We had standing room only.”

On Jan. 5, Troy Bergstrom was airlifted to Salt Lake City after unknown health complications caused his organs to begin shutting down. On Jan. 16, while Bergstrom was still in intensive care in Salt Lake, the family’s home caught fire.

Aubrey McCarrel, public relations captain for the Lapoint/Tridell Fire Department, said the Bergstrom’s oldest teenager was home when the fire started and quickly called 911.

“We were there for a few hours before we could get the fire out,” McCarrel said. “The fire left a big, gaping hole in the roof and damaged the kitchen, living room and two upstairs bedrooms. We went back and boarded things up the next day to help prevent any more damage.”

The fire was caused by a short in the electrical system inside an interior wall. McCarrel said the home is still salvageable, but it has been declared uninhabitable until necessary repairs are completed. It could take as long as two months before the home is livable again, McCarrel said.

For now, the Bergstrom family’s six children are staying with various relatives in the Uintah Basin while Troy’s wife, Kippie, is still out in Salt Lake with her husband at the hospital.

McCarrel, who is also Kippie’s cousin, said community members didn’t hesitate to come to the aid of the family.

“Troy and Kippie are very involved in our community,” he said. “Kippie is always the first one there whenever someone needs help, and Troy is the Lapoint mechanic. If you are broke down, he’ll help you without giving it a thought. As a community, we just wanted to step up and help them because they are always there for everyone else.”

Although event organizers did not want to release the exact amount of money the benefit raised for the Bergstrom family, they did say they wanted to express gratitude to everyone who donated items or services to make the event possible.

McCarrel said numerous businesses and community members donated items for a raffle. The biggest draw was the raffle for a Smith & Wesson 270 bolt-action rifle donated by Basin Sports, he said. Other items raffled off included hand-crafted quilts, a fireplace mantle from a local cabinet shop in Lapoint, Monster Jam Tickets, tools, night stands and iPods.

“You name it, I think we had it,” McCarrel said.

People can also donate to the family in an account that has been set up in their name (Troy and Kippie Bergstrom) at Zions Bank.