COLLEGE STATION, Texas (KRHD) — Texas A&M students gathered at the Bonfire Memorial on Nov. 18 to honor the 12 Aggies who died in the tragic bonfire collapse 26 years ago.
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Hundreds of students filled the memorial at 2:42 a.m. — the exact moment the bonfire stack fell on Nov. 18, 1999 — standing shoulder to shoulder in remembrance of their fellow Aggies.
"A&M is such a special place where it's not just a school, it's a family. And even Aggies that we don't know, they're our family as well," Texas A&M student Audrey Dunn said.
The annual ceremony has become a cornerstone tradition at Texas A&M, bringing the campus community together every November 18 to remember the students whose lives were cut short that night.
"Aggies show up for one another and that is one of the most important parts of the ceremony and its significance. These lives are lives of students that deserve to be remembered," Ella Williford, with the Texas A&M Traditions Council, said.
For more than 20 years, Aggies have returned to the memorial site each year to honor the 12 students who died when the massive bonfire structure collapsed during construction.
"Every person, every soul that ever walks across A&M matters, and the 12 that passed on 26 years ago, we want to honor their lives and what they gave to the Aggie community," Texas A&M student Kathryn Vieceli said.
Students say the ceremony represents more than tradition — it's about community, wisdom, and learning from those who came before them.
"It's very important that we not only become our own people but take from the wisdom from others who have gone before us and done things that we have not done yet," Dunn said.
"It's about the community that we have here and honoring those before us. We would not be here who we are, where we are without their sacrifice," Vieceli said.
The candlelight ceremony serves as a powerful reminder of the university's resilience and unity in the face of tragedy.
"It's a really beautiful thing to be able to be a light in the darkness to all hold candles together and to just really embody Texas A&M's sense of resilience. That's not something that went away in 1999. It's something that continues today. It's something that still marks A&M," Williford said.
The Bonfire Memorial remains open year-round, providing Aggies and visitors a quiet place to remember, reflect, and honor the 12 lives lost in the 1999 tragedy.
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