CLEVELAND -- The first 911 call was made at 6:07 p.m.

"The last thing I remember was just telling Tim, 'Don't come in.' I don't remember much after that," Bruce Haas said.

From there, the minutes continued to tick away.

Haas said, "I couldn't get out. And I saw the frantic look on Tim's face and I had enough left in me and I said, 'Timmy, don't come in here.'"

Haas was cleaning an empty fuel tank, but fumes overwhelmed him.

"The feeling is ... it alters your mind. It alters your mind. It puts you in a different state," Haas explained.

Haas' sons, Timmy and Paul, risked their own lives to save him.

Haas said, "And the next thing I knew, I was out. (Timmy) and Paul were in and they both had lifted me up the manhole."

But Haas went back to save them.

"I was damned if I was going to leave them in there by themselves. Dad doesn't do that," Haas said.

NewsChannel5 obtained official reports detailing exactly what happened next.

The investigation found:

• Rescue teams that "did not have specialized equipment ... for confined space rescue"
• A compressor providing breathable air was shut off
• And critical delays

By 6:17 p.m., the Bainbridge Fire Department took over command.

At 6:20 p.m., Haas was rescued by an Auburn firefighter.

But Bainbridge command ordered rescuers to pull back.

"In my mind, if command would have showed up 20 minutes to a half hour later, it would have been over," Haas said. "And all three of us would have been out."

And, an air compressor providing breathable air was shut down.

"If they weren't going to rescue (Paul and Timmy), they could have left the air going for them. I don't understand it," Haas said.

Capt. Scott Mlakar is trained for rescues like this.

He was not at the scene, but Mlakar said the risk of explosion is real.

"Sometimes the prudent thing to do is provide ventilation and other times ventilation can makes thing much worse," Mlakar said.

More than a full hour ticked by before experts, specially trained in confined space rescue, were called.

Haas said, "If Hillcrest would have been the first call instead of hazmat, it would have speeded it up an hour, maybe two quicker."

Investigator Ron Regan asked, "And it could have been the difference?"

Haas answered, "And that would have been the difference between life and death."

At 8 p.m. -- two hours after that first 911 call for help -- Paul Haas is finally rescued.

"(Paul) knew Tim was in a lot more trouble than him and he pleaded with the rescuers to take Tim first," Haas said as he shed tears.

Regan asked, "Did (Paul) think (Tim) was still alive?"

"(Tim) was still alive at 8 o'clock," Haas said.

Timmy died inside that tank and was never taken out until 10:36 that evening.

Bainbridge Fire Chief Brian Phan was in command of the scene and repeatedly declined to be interviewed by NewsChannel5. But he did send a statement that read:

• "The incident that took place was a terrible tragedy affecting the family involved, the community and our emergency responders. Our hearts go out to everyone that was involved and we will keep them in our thoughts and prayers during this difficult time. -Brian A. Phan, Chief"