‘One of Texas’ greatest tragedies’: It’s been 25 years since the Aggie Bonfire collapse – Houston Public Media

Brent Fuller was a 24-year-old police and crimes reporter in Houston on the morning of Nov. 18, 1999, when reports of the accident began pouring in.

"Our first notification of what had happened up at (Texas) A&M came in at about 2:30 (a.m.) from a young lady," he said. "She basically was seeking help. I'm not even sure if she knew she was talking to a news station. She said, 'We need to get the word out about this. We need to get some help out here.'"

Even over the phone, it was immediately apparent that something tragic had happened.

"You could hear in the background, I recall this distinctly, the yelling and screaming that was going on," Fuller said. "She was obviously right in the middle of the bonfire collapse. You could hear men in the background shouting, 'We need some pliers. We need some help over here.' ... It's something you might have heard after an explosion or a terrible incident. It sounded like a war zone out there."

Twenty-five years ago Monday, at approximately 2:42 a.m. on Nov. 18, 1999, the annual Aggie Bonfire on the Texas A&M University campus collapsed during construction, leaving 12 dead and 27 others injured. Before its collapse, the bonfire had stood 59 feet high and contained about 5,000 logs, according to a later report on the incident by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security. The lighting of a yearly bonfire had been a nearly 100-year tradition at Texas A&M to celebrate important upcoming football games, typically the rivalry game between Texas A&M and the University of Texas at Austin.

Upon receiving the phone call in Houston that morning, Fuller was quickly sent out to the site of the collapse in College Station, about an hour-and-a-half drive from Houston. Although the sun had still not risen when he arrived, Fuller said the gravity and chaos of the accident was immediately apparent, even in the dark.

"I thought I was looking at a building," he said. "It was easily a two-story structure, huge logs piled up on top of each other. I wasn't ready for the sheer size of the thing they had built. ... (It was) just a pile of confusion and chaos."

Being a police and crimes reporter, Fuller said he had some experience in mass tragedies, having covered mass shootings and natural disasters, but this had been different.

"When the light had broken, they were going in and trying to rescue some of the unfortunate youngsters that were caught in there," he said. "I say youngsters but most of them were maybe just a few years younger than I was at the time. ... We were watching them as they took some of the bodies of the victims out. It was just surreal to see the poor kids that were unfortunate victims."

Even now, a quarter-century later and just a few weeks away from his 50th birthday, Fuller said the tragedy still feels fresh when he thinks back on it.

"I don't think there was anyone who wasn't crying or visibly shaken," he said. "I just recall looking at the remains as they brought them out and it's just not something you'd ever want to see, just a terrible loss. Surely one of Texas' greatest tragedies."

This Monday, Aggies plan to gather at 2:42 a.m. on the site of the collapse — as they do every year — where a Bonfire Memorial now stands, for an annual remembrance ceremony.

In a statement, Texas A&M President Ret. Gen. Mark A. Welsh III said remembering the 12 who died has and will continue to be an important part of the university's rich traditions.

"Year after year, Texas A&M students have worked to ensure that we never forget those members of the Aggie Family who were taken from us 25 years ago," he said. "Today and always, we hold these 12 Aggies and their families close to our hearts. As we reflect on the events of Nov. 18, 1999, I encourage all Aggies to join me in honoring the 12 and preserving their memory for future generations."

Bonfire in the Present Day

Following the tragedy in 1999, Texas A&M stopped allowing the tradition — which had previously burned every year from 1907 to 1998, except for 1963 when then-President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Although the university-sanctioned bonfire has ended, the tradition is still carried on off-campus by Student Bonfire, an unaffiliated student organization. This unsanctioned bonfire was first held in November 2002 and was known as the Unity Project.

Mason Taylor, a Senior Red Pot in Student Bonfire, said the tradition is carried on in remembrance of the Aggies who were lost. A Senior Red Pot is one of the highest positions in the organization and the pots refer to the hard hats worn by the members during the construction process and the burn.

"I usually define it as the Aggie Spirit in a physical embodiment," he said. " It's volunteer students coming out, taking time away from their school and from their personal lives to come out and learn real-world skills and apply real-world leadership to build this fire every year for all Aggies to enjoy."

Remembering the 1999 collapse is an integral part of everything the members of Student Bonfire do, Taylor said.

"So, as much as Student Bonfire is its own bonfire now adjacent to what it used to be, it's still the same," he said. "It's also a living memorial. You'll see on the pots of everyone, the names of the 12. Most of the chiefs are required to know the names of the 12. Every day is a living reminder. ... We've all read and memorized the commissioner's report, (we) know why it collapsed, what happened and how to prevent it from never happening again."

Taylor said the deadly collapse was caused by two major factors: One of the corners was overbuilt while another was underbuilt, causing an uneven balance, and there was a failure to use steel cables around the outside — which had been introduced in 1994.

Now, the bonfire is constructed nearly the same every year and all of the logs are required to touch the ground, Taylor said.

"Nowadays, we have not only the main center pole in the middle, which supports the structure, but we have four 'windal sticks' on the outside," he said. "We start from the first tier (with) 32-foot-tall logs. (Then) we drop down to 25, 20, 15 and 10. So, we have five tiers and every single log touches the ground."

The solemn quarter-century anniversary this Monday also comes during the first year of the revived football rivalry between Texas A&M and the University of Texas. The bonfire tradition often occurred leading up to this rivalry game.

Although Taylor said he is excited for the game, the focus still remains on remembering those who were lost.

"I'd say we're more on the page of commemorating the 25th anniversary," he said. " We've still got a fire to build and it's going to be built the same way it has been for the last 20 years."

For Taylor and many members of Student Bonfire, the tradition is about more than a yearly football game.

"As a Red Pot, it's my whole life; I grew up hearing about it from my dad, grew up wearing my dad's pot," he said. "We make a lot of sacrifices as normal students who build Bonfire and as leadership in Bonfire. You don't get to go home every weekend. You don't get to go out with your buddies sometimes. You've got a stack to build."

Earlier this year, members of the Texas A&M Board of Regents discussed bringing Aggie Bonfire back to campus but the board ultimately decided not to do so due to safety concerns and the fact students would not be able to lead the tradition as in years past.