The victims of this week’s hangar collapse have been publicly identified, and first responders offered more details about the chaotic scene that unfolded last Wednesday evening.
The three people who died Jan. 31 are 59-year-old Boise man Craig Durrant, 24-year-old Nampa man Mariano Coc Och, and 32-year-old Nampa man Mario Sontay Tzi. All three died of traumatic blunt force injuries and were pronounced dead between 8:30 p.m. and 8:35 p.m. on Wednesday, according to the Ada County Coroner’s Office, which released the men’s identities Friday morning.
Big D Builders is a Meridian-Based contractor that was building the 39,000-square-foot structure. A person named Craig Durrant has been listed as an officer and director of Big D Builders in past years, according to Idaho Secretary of State’s Office business filings.
“Words cannot describe our pain and sorrow since Wednesday evening. We have lost family members and valued employees who were close personal friends. We have also had colleagues experience significant injuries,” a statement sent on behalf of Big D Builders said. “Behind our company name is a small Idaho-grown, family-owned business, and we are grieving deeply with our community.”
The ”catastrophic” collapse happened around 5 p.m. Wednesday when the steel structure under construction collapsed at the Boise Airport. The hangar is owned by Jackson Jet Center and was being built by Big D Builders.
The cause of the structure failure is under investigation.
Nine people were injured in the collapse, including five who were hospitalized with serious injuries.
Boise Fire Department Operations Chief Aaron Hummel said some of the victims were on a hoist or other elevated platform when the structure fell, and that required specialized rescue efforts, the Associated Press reported.
Boise Fire Department Chief Mark Niemeyer during a Friday afternoon press conference said his agency’s response was unique, and a product of fortunate timing — firefighters who were stationed at the Boise Airport were taking part in a training at the airfield and therefore “on scene immediately.”
“They weren’t sitting in the station, so they were there immediately after the collapse happened,” Niemeyer said at Boise City Hall West. The press conference was live-streamed by KTVB.
Ada County Paramedics also responded and had six ambulances on scene within 12 minutes of being notified of the emergency, Ada County Paramedics Chief Shawn Rayne said Friday.
“From an EMS standpoint, this incident certainly pushed us to our limits,” Rayne said.
David Kearns, area director for the Boise OSHA office, said OSHA’s investigation into the hangar collapse will be “complex,” and that there will be “a lot of evidence to collect.”
“Construction is a highly hazardous industry and steel erection is among some of the most hazardous and complex,” Kearns told the Idaho Press. “When a tragedy like this occurs, it really drives home the importance of overall worker safety and health.”