Series of Real-time EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning the Collapse of a Large Logpile at Texas A&M University

Series of Real-time EmergencyNet News Reports Concerning the Collapse of a Large Logpile at Texas A&M University - 18 Nov 99 to 19 Nov 99

Excerpted from: ERRI EMERGENCY SERVICES REPORT-EmergencyNet NEWS Service-Friday, November 19, 1999-Vol. 3 - 323

TEXAS

Photo - Courtesy BBC Eleven Killed In Pyramid Collapse At Texas A&M

At least 11 students were killed and 28 were injured when a 40-foot pyramid of logs being assembled for Texas A&M's annual bonfire collapsed early Thursday in College Station while dozens of students were working on it. Two people who had been seen trapped in the rubble in the afternoon were confirmed dead during the night. Their bodies were pulled from the debris early Friday.

In the hours after the 02:30CST collapse, rescuers pulled four students from the rubble alive. One student was pulled free more than six hours later. Crews using sound detectors could hear "moaning and tapping sounds," leading them to find surviving victims.

Cranes removed logs gingerly, one by one, in the search for more students. Firefighters said that every piece of wood in the pile is unstable and every piece of wood that moved affected other pieces of lumber.

The 28 students' injuries varied and some were said to be in "quite serious shape." At least four were in critical condition. Some 60 to 70 students were believed to be on the pile when it fell. The large structure is built over the course of several weeks with multiple stacks of full-size logs put in place by cranes, tractors and students. The structure is designed to twist inward and collapse on itself as it burns. The stack of logs would have reached 55 feet when completed. At the time of the collapse on Thursday, it was about 40 feet high. Students who build the stack -- even cutting the logs themselves -- get safety training and get input from professional engineers.

At St. Joseph Regional Health Center, three people were in critical condition, one was in serious condition; three were in fair condition and five were treated and released. The injuries ranged from fractures to internal trauma. An additional 13 students were taken to College Station Medical Center, where two were in serious condition with broken bones and 11 others had minor injuries.

15:00CST-18 Nov 99: Continuing reports from the scene indicate that nine (9) people have died as the result of the collapse of a large pile of timber to be used for a bonfire at Texas A&M University. EmergencyNet News will provide a summary report in tomorrow's daily Emergency Service Report (ESR)...

12:00CST-18 Nov 99: Late reports from Texas A&M say that six people have died and 28 others were injured in the "bonfire" collapse that occurred overnight. A rescue effort continues there at the hour of this report. No cause of the collapse has been determined...

09:30CST-EmergencyNet News ESR -18 Nov 99: COLLEGE STATION, TX: A huge bonfire students were building in preparation for an upcoming Texas A&M football game collapsed on Wednesday. At least three people were reported killed. Some reports said up to 75 other people were injured. "Bonfire" does not quite described what was being built. Hundreds of logs, the size of large trees, were being used to build the bonfire. It was reported that some people were trapped inside the logs.

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