A 10-year veteran of the Waxahachie Fire Department, Herman Richard (Ricky) Tidwell, age 34, died in the line of duty on Saturday, January 8, 1983 when an explosion ripped through Waxahachie Glass Company toppling a brick wall. The fire was reported to authorities at about 11:00 pm Saturday. Firemen were on scene immediately, but according to the Fire Marshall, Wendell Presley, the firemen didn’t realize the extent of the blaze. When firemen arrived at the scene, the area was thick with smoke, but none of the blaze was evident outside the building. According to reports, Tidwell and another fireman, Mike Slay, had started to enter the building and were standing in the open doorway when an explosion rocked the building, bringing down a brick wall on the north (Madison Street) side of the building, other walls and part of the roof of the structure. Tidwell was killed instantly when he was trapped under a pile of rubble. Slay received back injuries, but apparently was thrown clear of the collapsing wall. According to reports, Slay was hit in the back with several bricks. Others injured in the blaze were retired fire chief Willie Noel and two Waxahachie firemen, Don Bennett and Jimmy Turner.

Herman was a reserve police officer with Waxahachie Fire Department, a past volunteer with the Waxahachie Rural Fire Department and a current member of the Ellis County Firemen’s Association. He had been a fireman for a total of 15 years, having also served with the Ennis Fire Department.