Idaho authorities confirmed that three people were killed while nine others were injured after a Boise Airport collapse involving a hangar that was under construction.
Officials responded at around 5:00 p.m. local time to a private business that was located at the Boise Airport for a steel-framed hangar that was said to have collapsed. The news of the incident was reported by Boise Fire Department Operations Chief Aaron Hummel during a news briefing.
Boise Airport Building Collapse
Hummel added that everyone who had been at the site had already been accounted for as of Wednesday evening. The fire chief did not immediately comment on the condition of the people who were injured or whether or not anyone lost their lives.
However, the city of Boise issued a statement late on Wednesday, confirming that at least three people died in the accident and noted that out of the nine injured, five were hospitalized in critical condition. The identities of the victims have not yet been publicly released, as per CBS News.
The fire chief said that it was a very chaotic scene at the airport, describing the incident as a "large-scale collapse" of the building's framework. He noted that they were not yet able to determine the exact cause of the accident but called it catastrophic.
Officials also noted that fortunately, Boise Airport operations were not impacted by the building's collapse. One resident, Terra Furman, was driving on Interstate 84 roughly a quarter mile away from the Boise Airport at around 5:30 p.m. when she saw at least 20 police cars, ambulances, and firetrucks around what she said was a crane folded in half and a building in the shape of an "M."
She noted that the walls of the building were still up at a point and the middle was collapsed on either side hummel said that some of the victims of the accident were on a hoist or other elevated platform at the time of the collapse, noting that some of them required some specialized rescue efforts to be brought back to safety.
Horrific Accident
Hummel said that the building that was under construction was not a city facility but he did not provide information on who was responsible for constructing the hangar itself. During a news conference, the fire chief noted that first responders "found a hectic scene and worked to secure and rescue victims," according to CNN.
The city of Boise owns the site at 3201 W. Airport Way but a private hangar for Jackson Jet was there for construction. In a statement, the company expressed its condolences to everyone who was affected by the accident, particularly those whose loved ones were on site.
Jackson Jet also thanked the rapid and professional response of Boise Fire, Boise Police, and Ada County Paramedics along with the expert care of area hospitals. The statement added that the company's focus now is supporting its team and partners during a difficult time.
Recently, a large steel structure went up on the site, with photographs showing that it has since collapsed. Last year, reports noted that Jackson Jet applied to build the new 39,000-square-foot hangar near the site of its current hangar, said BoiseDev.
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