Those who witnessed Texas A&M University's former bonfire tradition said it was unlike anything they'd ever seen.
"Massive flame, so hot that when they lit it, the entire crowd typically took a step or two back," Doug Keegan, of the Texas A&M class of 1999, said.
The Aggie bonfire tradition started in 1909 to symbolize the burning desire of Aggies to beat the University of Texas at Austin in the annual football game, and grew over the years into a massive bonfire that students poured their heart and soul into building.
"You're working over two months every weekend and the last few weeks, almost every day" Keegan said.
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Aggie Bonfire
As News 8’s Veronica Castelo explains, there's one tradition that, although no longer sponsored by the school, students continue to uphold.
 
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Students would even spend all night working on the construction. In fact, it was in the early hours of Nov. 18, 1999 that tragedy struck.
"Unfathomable tragedy," Keegan said.
At 2:42 a.m., as students worked on the foundation for the bonfire, it collapsed, killing 12 Aggies and injuring 27.
Last week, thousands gathered around a memorial that sits where the bonfire once stood, a celebration of life lost that November day. Richard Frampton's son Jeremy is one of the memorialized.
"It means that my son didn't die in vain. He loved this place and I see why now. He loved the bonfire, and I see why now," Frampton said.
The university suspended the tradition following the tragedy. Although some, including Texas A&M alumnus Gov. Rick Perry, suggest the tradition should be revived, university officials have little to say on the topic.
Still, the tradition has managed to live on, off campus.
"I'm glad they are keeping it alive. It's very important to those of us who were so active with it. Quite frankly, I think the young women and men who died would have wanted it," Jud Chappell, of the A&M class of 1990, said.
In 2002, a group of students organized what is becoming an annual unsanctioned student bonfire.
"I'm really glad that the students decided to get back together and bring it back because it's a really cool tradition," A&M junior Matt Kubacak said.
The Junior Professional Engineers are highly involved in the bonfire structure's construction. The current structure is much smaller, and unlike before, all the logs touch the ground, making the build a safer endeavor.
What does remain the same, however, is the student effort.
"The most important thing about bonfire is that it's run by students, it's built by students, so that the students can garner the benefits of the build as well as the burn," bonfire organizer Jeremy Stark said.
The burn that might not last as long as before, but still gets the job done.
"Bonfire looks like bonfire. If it's a wedding cake or it's a teepee, it's got to burn a T-frat house at the top," Stark said.
Not everyone shares in this crowd's belief that there should be a bonfire. Some say the risk too high. But most will agree, whether it's through a bonfire, or a memorial, the lives of those lost 10 years ago carrying on the Aggie spirit have not and will not be forgotten.
