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3 dead, at least 9 injured after hangar collapses at Boise airport: ‘Catastrophic’
Boise Fire Department Operations Chief Aaron Hummel described the accident as a "large-scale collapse" of the building’s framework
Three people were killed and at least nine injured after an under-construction hangar onthe grounds of the airport in Boise, Idaho, collapsed on Wednesday, January 31. According to Boise Fire Department Operations Chief Aaron Hummel, authorities responded at about 5 am to a private business located at the Boise Airport. A steel hangar had reportedly collapsed.
“Emergency responders are on scene of a reported building collapse at W. Rickenbacker St. and Luke Street. There are reports of multiple injuries. The Boise Airport is not impacted. More information will be available here as it is confirmed,” Boise Fire Dept. wrote on X.
Sharing the post, Idaho State Police - Headquarters wrote, “There is an incident near the Boise airport with first responders on scene. This is causing traffic issues on I-84 near the airport. Please use caution and stay alert while driving through the area.”
Hummel did not immediately reveal anything about those who were injured, but the city of Boise later said that three people had been pronounced dead at the scene. Five of the nine people who were injured were hospitalised in critical condition, according to CBS News. The names of the victims have yet to be disclosed.
"It was a very chaotic scene," Hummel said. He described the accident as a "large-scale collapse" of the building’s framework. "I don't know what caused it, but I can tell you it was a pretty global collapse," he said, describing it as "catastrophic."
Officials confirmed that Boise Airport operations were not impacted.
When the structure collapsed, some of the victims were on a hoist or other elevated platforms, Hummel said. A crane, too, fell in the process.
According to Leticia Ramirez, a spokesperson for Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise, emergency and trauma teams, along with first responders, are treating the victims. The cause of the collapse is being probed.
