One of the men killed in Boise hangar collapse was a founder of the project’s contractor

BOISE – Craig Durrant, one of the founders of Big D Builders, was one of the three men killed in Wednesday’s building collapse near the Boise Airport.

Big D Builders, based out of Meridian, Idaho, was constructing a new airplane hangar for Jackson Jet Center when the engineered metal building collapsed. Nine others were injured in the collapse, and five of those were in critical condition Wednesday night.

“Words cannot describe our pain and sorrow since Wednesday evening,” read an emailed statement written on behalf of Big D Builders and distributed by John Segale of communications agency Fahlgren Mortine. “We have lost family members and valued employees who were close personal friends. We have also had colleagues experience significant injuries. Behind our company name is a small, Idaho-grown, family-owned business, and we are grieving deeply with our community.”

Big D Builders was incorporated in Idaho in 1996 with four founding board directors: Craig, Russell, Dennis and Kevin Durrant, according to public records from the Idaho Secretary of State’s office.

Segale confirmed Craig Durrant, 59, was a co-founder of the company and brother of Dennis Durrant, the owner of Big D Builders.

The Durrant family has started multiple businesses in Idaho, including Big D Ranch .

“In 1946, Clarence Henry Durrant moved his family from Provo, Utah, to Meridian, Idaho, bringing with him the ‘Big D’ brand,” according to the Big D Ranch website. “In 1953, he built the first chicken coop and by 1954 he had decided to go into the egg producing business on a large scale and purchased 800 chicks.”

Segale said Big D Builders is committed to working with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration and others to determine why the structure collapsed.

“We want to thank our community’s first responders who moved quickly into action to help our team on Wednesday evening,” the written statement said. “We are grateful to you for your expertise and service to our communities.”