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Boise airport hangar collapse had unheard concerns from workers day before deadly disaster

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Boise airport hangar collapse had unheard concerns from workers day before deadly disaster

Workers had expressed concerns about bending or bowed beams and structural issues before a steel airport hangar under construction in Idaho collapsed in January, killing three people and injuring nine others, a newspaper reported.

IDAHO BUILDING COLLAPSE ON BOISE AIRPORT PROPERTY LEAVES 3 DEAD, 9 INJURED: ‘CATASTROPHIC’

Some employees told the site’s supervisor of their worries a day before the privately owned and partially built hangar collapsed Jan. 31 on the grounds of the Boise Airport, according to police reports released to the Idaho Statesman through a public records request.

Image shows the aftermath of the deadly collapse of a hangar under construction next to the Jackson Jet Center at the Boise Airport. (Darin Oswald/Idaho Statesman/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)

Meridian-based contractor Big D Builders was the general contractor of the $8.1 million, 39,000-square-foot (3,623-square-meter) hangar for Jackson Jet Center at the airport.

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Inland Crane of Boise provided equipment and operators for the project, and that company’s supervisor told police he “has worked a crane on several of these types of sites, and the ‘bowing’ of the beam did not look right to him.”

The supervisor told the police he had reported the concerns to Big D Builders co-founder Craig Durrant, one of three victims in the collapse, and that Durrant said he had made calls to an engineer.

Dennis Durrant, Craig’s brother and company owner, told police in an interview that the beams were “bowing.” They contacted the manufacturer because the supports for the frame weren’t “adequate,” according to the police documents.

An engineer gave them guidance to reinforce the building, Durrant told officers.

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The police interviews indicate Craig Durrant told the crane supervisor that the frame was fine after speaking to the engineer because workers added straps on the beams. They were also trying to place more beams to support the roof.

The Durrant brothers were in the center of the site when they heard loud popping noises, according to the police reports. They ran for the perimeter but Dennis Durrant told police the building “came down within seconds,” killing his brother. Also killed in the collapse were two construction workers, Mario Sontay Tzi , 32, and Mariano “Alex” Coc Och, 24.

Several Inland Crane employees also told their company’s safety officer about “structural integrity concerns” for the hangar, according to the police interviews.

“He also confirmed multiple crane operators from Inland Crane reported curved beams and snapped stiffener cables,” police wrote.

The hangar’s overhead beams were not straight, and there were not enough cross-sections to support the overhead beams, another crane operator told officers.

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Yet another crane operator told police the cranes were brought to the construction site to “straighten out the hangar because portions of it were bending.”

A woman who answered the phone Wednesday at Big D Builders said owner Dennis Durrant declined to comment to The Associated Press.

However, David Stark, Big D Builders superintendent general contractor, maintained that there weren’t any problems at the site, and that he didn’t see anything out of the ordinary, the Statesman reported.

Boise police turned its information over to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, which has said its investigation could take up to six months.

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Inland Crane Vice President Jeremy Haener has previously said no action by Inland Crane operators or the crane itself were cause for the structure’s failure, based on the accounts of workers on the site and the steel erecting contractor.

“Inland Crane is actively participating in the OSHA investigation around the tragic incident that occurred on a Boise job site on Jan. 31,” Haener said in a statement Tuesday. “Out of respect for the integrity of that process, we have no additional statements to make until that review is completed.”

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Montana

1 dead, another injured in two-motorcycle crash near Polson

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1 dead, another injured in two-motorcycle crash near Polson


Two motorcyclists crashed on Highway 35 near Polson after failing to negotiate a left-hand curve, leaving one man dead and another hospitalized, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

Two motorcycles were traveling southbound on Highway 35 when both drifted into a guardrail. Both drivers were separated from their motorcycles and ended up on the other side of the guardrail.

A 58-year-old Polson man was confirmed dead at the scene. The second driver, a 45-year-old man, also from Polson, was taken to the hospital with injuries.

Alcohol is a suspected factor in the crash, according to the Montana Highway Patrol.

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The crash is under investigation.



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Nevada

Fierce winds return to Southern Nevada

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Fierce winds return to Southern Nevada


Fierce widespread winds return to Southern Nevada on Tuesday!

TODAY

Wind alerts are in place across the Silver State, including HIGH WIND WARNINGS for Esmeralda and Nye County for wind gusts up to 60 mph.

Locally, a WIND ADVISORY will be in effect from 2:00 pm to 11:00 pm today in Clark County for sustained south winds 20-30 mph and wind gusts around 45 mph. Higher wind speeds 50-60 mph will be possible in the mountains. Similar gusty winds will occur across Lincoln County as well.

Rain/snow showers will be possible mainly across northern and central Nevada as this storm passes with the snow level dropping to 5,000-6,000 ft. Around a foot of snow is forecast in parts of the Sierra above 10,000 ft in elevation.

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Meanwhile, we’ll see lots of sunshine in Las Vegas with “cooler” high temperatures reaching 86 degrees. That’s down from yesterday’s high of 90 degrees officially at the airport. Winds will start off light, increasing to 15-25 mph sustained winds this afternoon with wind gusts 35-45 mph.

Air quality is ranked ‘good’ to ‘moderate’ for ozone and blowing dust. Pollen levels are ‘low.’

TONIGHT

We’ll see mostly clear skies, gusty winds and colder valley low temperatures dropping to the mid 50s.

Winds will continue out of the southwest, 20-30 mph.

WHAT’S NEXT

Temperatures will drop around 10 degrees by Wednesday with valley highs in the mid 70s. Breezes will linger with west/southwest winds 10-15 mph with gusts around 25 mph.

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We have a brief warm-up Thursday and Friday, ahead of another weather maker moving in this weekend. As of right now, weather models indicate breezes picking up Saturday and Sunday (SW winds 10-15 mph with gusts to 25 mph). A slight chance of mountain showers will be possible (20% odds Saturday & 30% odds Sunday on Mt. Charleston).

Temperatures will start warming up again beyond the 7-day with valley highs back in the low 80s NEXT Tuesday through Thursday.



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New Mexico

Love 4 Pets with Woody, Zwei, Kenai

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Love 4 Pets with Woody, Zwei, Kenai


Woody is up for adoption with the City of Albuquerque’s Animal Welfare Department. Meet him here!

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — In this Love 4 Pets, we have Woody, Zwei and Kanai, who are all up for adoption at the City of Albuquerque’s shelters.

Woody is looking for a loving home after going through the ringer. He came to Albuquerque Animal Welfare about a month ago after he was hit by a car. He’s healing from some pelvic fractures and is moving slowly so he can hang out in the backyard and go for short walks.

Woody is very smart and can sleep all night. They believe he is about nine years old and is believed to be a Lab mix. He’s very sweet and is house-trained.

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Woody is set to be 100% ready soon. You can meet him in the video above or at the Eastside Animal Shelter (details).

We also have Zwei and Kenai.

Zwei:

An Australian Shepherd mix, Zwei is a little tripod who is a great companion, has wonderful manners and loves to lean into you for hugs. She walks beautifully on a leash and doesn’t miss a beat, even with only three legs.

Zwei is currently in foster care. If you are interested in adopting her, contact Albuquerque Animal Welfare to set up a time to visit her.

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Kenai:

Kenai is a Labrador retriever mix. He is a friendly, affectionate boy who enjoys being around people and has good manners. He walks well on a leash and is very excited about exploring the world.

Kenai loves attention, toys (especially stuffed animals) and car rides. So, if you’re looking for an adventure buddy, you can meet him at the Westside Animal Shelter (details).



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