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COLLEGE STATION, Texas — Texas A&M’s traditional bonfire, which tragically ended 25 years ago, will not return to campus for the renewal of the Aggies’ annual football rivalry with Texas, school president Mark Welsh III announced Tuesday.
A special committee recommended bringing it back as part of the school’s celebration of resuming the rivalry with the Longhorns next season. The recommendation called for a fire to be designed and built by professional engineers and contractors.
In 1999, 12 people were killed and 27 injured when a log pile collapsed during construction.
Welsh said he considered public input and noted that those who responded did not want to bring it back if students did not organize, lead and build the bonfire. The committee, however, said that the only viable option would be to have it professionally manufactured.
“After careful consideration, I have decided that the bonfire, a wonderful and tragic part of Aggie history, should remain in our treasured past,” Welsh said in a statement.
Traditional bonfire dating back to 1909 before the Aggies-Longhorns football game. The 60-foot structure, with nearly 5,000 logs, collapsed in the early morning hours of Nov. 18, 1999, killing 11 students and an alumnus. The school has a campus memorial to the tragedy, and Welsh noted the upcoming 25th anniversary.
“That sacred place will be at the heart of how we remember the beloved tradition and the sacrifice of those involved in the tragic fall of 1999. We will hold them and their families close on that occasion and always.”
Texas will play at Texas A&M on Nov. 30 as the Longhorns join the Southeastern Conference this season. The rivalry split after the 2011 season after Texas A&M left the Big 12 for the SEC.
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