PHOTOS: Nasty green smoke filled the Waco Oriental Rug Company on Feb. 24, 1993, as a young Don Yeager and his fellow Waco firefighters entered the building, unaware of the peril that awaited them.
With two years of experience, Yeager arrived with the first crew and paired with his captain to carry a hose into the building at 1101 Austin Ave. Another rookie firefighter teamed with an experienced firefighter to carry a second hose in.
“My captain told me, ‘Don’t let go of the hose,’” Yeager said.
“We heard a crack overhead, as we pulled the hoses farther into the building,” Yeager said. “Then came a boom as the ceiling fell in a V-shaped collapse.” Along with other firefighters that day, Yeager dodged fate and lived to tell the tale. Now a retired battalion chief, he will join other former and current Waco firefighters and the public to celebrate 150 years of Waco Fire Department history, from horse-drawn to high-tech.