Dave Erlebach said he wept when he learned of the fatal collapse of an aircraft hangar under construction near the Boise Airport. He was so moved by the tragedy that he spearheaded an effort to launch a fund for the victims and their families.
Three people died in the collapse on Jan. 31. Nine more were injured.
“I could only imagine the scene that took place when that building collapsed,” Erlebach, president of Industrial Builders in Caldwell, told the Idaho Statesman. He has worked in construction for over 35 years.
“Even though you might feel bad about it, that doesn’t help pay mortgages, and it doesn’t help with hospital bills and that type of thing,” he said. “So we said, ‘How can we help these families?’ And that’s when we started making a few phone calls.”
He and other construction and business leaders in Boise announced Wednesday the “ Rebuilding Together ” fund, which has so far raised $100,000 to support the victims, with $50,000 from Erlebach and $50,000 from Richard Phillips at Republic Storage , a Boise company.