House explodes into flames near Old Town Pocatello

A house exploded into flames around 12:30 a.m. Sunday near Old Town Pocatello.

The house is at 817 North Arthur Avenue where flames could be seen shooting into the air.Witnesses say they heard the explosion from several blocks away.

Police were keeping people out of the smoke area because they said they didn’t know what was burning in the house.

Dave Leadford, a witness, told reporter Brittany Borghi he heard several explosions since the fire began. Police said those explosions witnesses heard where oxygen tanks.

Witnesses also telling us they say a stretcher being carried away from the house.

The homeowner, Katherine Maher, said her dad, Jack, 73, and nephew Joey, 15, lived in the house. She lives in Oregon.

Jack suffers from emphysema and heart disease, Katherine said. There was an oxygen machine and about four to five tanks in the house, she said.

Jack is being sent to the University of Utah for burns to his feet, stomach and shoulder, Katherine said. Joey is at Portneuf Medical Center. Both are expected to be okay.

The family moved to Pocatello in 1990 and into the home between 1997 and 1998, Katherine said.

They family did not have insurance on the home, Katherine said, “I don’t know what we’re going to do.”

One man has been arrested at the scene of the fire. Police said the man walked through the fire scene and then hit an officer.