It is a simple account laid out for all to see. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. "[16] As spectators began to cascade over the wall separating the stand from the pitch, the linesman on that side of the pitch informed referee Norman Glover, who stopped the game with three minutes remaining before half-time. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. One elderly man started to walk across the pitch with his clothes and face ablaze. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. Part of the service was also held in Urdu and Punjabi as a sign of appreciation to the local ethnically Asian Subcontinental community in Manningham, Bradford and around Valley Parade who had opened their homes to Bradford City supporters to provide assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Bradford City had just won the Third Division Championship and a record number of spectators over 11,000 had turned out to see the club presented with its first piece of league silverware in 56 years. [15], At 3:44pm, five minutes before half-time, the first sign of a firea glowing lightwas noticed three rows from the back of block G,[10][16] as reported by television commentator John Helm. Burning timber and molten material began to fall onto the seating below and black smoke enveloped the passageway behind, where fans were trying to escape. A capacity 6,000 crowd attended a multi-denominational memorial service, held on the pitch in the sunny shadow of the burnt out stand at Valley Parade in July 1985. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. It occurred during a league match in front of record numbers of spectators, on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 and injuring at least 265. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. People were falling on to each other and screaming. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Following the hearing in 1986, a test case was brought against the club by David Britton, a police sergeant serving on the day, and by Susan Fletcher, who lost her husband John, 11-year-old son Andrew, John's brother Peter and his father Edmond in the fire. Fletcher has taken facts and presented them in such a way that it should make it moralistically impossible for this incident not to be looked at again. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. The inquiry into the disaster, chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell and known as the Popplewell Inquiry,[25] led to the introduction of new legislation to improve safety at the UK's football grounds. [38], The tragedy received immense media attention and drew support from around the world, with those offering their sympathy including Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. So I decided to give it that next push. They were not able to use water on the stand immediately because this would have hampered attempts to rescue people being dragged by the police and friends from the stand. Martin Fletcher, a Bradford fan who lost three generations of his family in the fire, published a memoir of the tragic event called Fifty-Six The Story Of The Bradford Fire, in which he claimed the blaze at Valley Parade was one of nine fires at businesses owned by or associated with Heginbotham. The fact the inquiry also embraced the investigation into another incident which happened on the same day, a riot in which a young boy died at Birmingham City, makes it seem more frivolous. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. "[23], On the 25th anniversary of the fire, the University of Bradford established the United Kingdom's largest academic research centre in skin sciences as an extension to its plastic surgery and burns research unit.[24]. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. [13], The match kicked off at 3:04pm and after forty minutes of the first half, the score remained 00,[14] in what was described as a drab affair with neither team threatening to score. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. There were no extinguishers in the stand's passageway for fear of vandalism, and one spectator ran to the clubhouse to find one but was overcome by smoke and impeded by others trying to escape. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. Fifty-six people died. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. At the time of the disaster, many stadiums had perimeter fencing between the stands and the pitch to prevent incidents of football hooliganism particularly pitch invasions which were rife during the 1980s. The Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. There is a twin memorial sculpture, unveiled on 11 May 1986, which has the names of the dead inscribed on it. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. 'It is the worst day in my life. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. [citation needed] Mathew Wildman, aged 17 at the time of the fire, commented that "I must have had five different experiments carried out on me with all sorts of new techniques for skin grafts and I had potions injected into me that helped my face repair naturally over time. Fire on Upper Castle Street, Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post On This Day 1985: The Bradford City Fire 0:15 Bradford Mill fire 24:43 The Bradford Fire 0:26 Large fire in Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post Bradford Mill fire 0:34 Bradford Great Horton Mill fire 0:10 Fire at Bradford school (video: Glynn Beck) 4:05 bradford city fc fire 1985 Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. The book also raises concerns about the speed of the inquiry and the fact that it commenced a few weeks after the fire and lasted for only a few days, whereas other inquiries into similar incidents, pre and post the Bradford fire, have taken years to come to fruition and months to be heard. "It made me realise life is too short." He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire, Bradford City fans pay tribute to the 56 fans who died the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985, The blaze causing the deaths of 56 supporters in one of the worst incidents in British football, Bradford artist Paul Town was inspired to paint after surviving the Valley Parade fire, Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, New book claims fatal 1985 Bradford City Valley Parade fire might have been started deliberately, Bradford City chairman 'linked to eight fires' before Valley Parade stadium disaster, Bradford City 0-0 Reading: Bantams hold Royals in quarter-final stalemate, David Alaba receives massive abuse for voting for Lionel Messi in The Best awards, Glazers' demands set to delay Manchester United takeover: reports, Man Utd beat West Ham to reach FA Cup quarters as Spurs crash out, Bahrain GP: F1 team rankings ahead of 2023 season-opener, Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Xavi admits Los Blancos still favourites to advance. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. "It is hard to imagine how Martin and his mother have managed to cope over the last 30 years and we have always respected him," Harrison says. he asks. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. After its renovation in 1990 they named the home end of their ground the 'Stacey-West Stand', in honour of Bill Stacey and Jim West, the two Lincoln City supporters who were amongst the 56 to die at Bradford. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. The match between Bradford City and Lincoln City, the final game of that season, had started in a celebratory atmosphere with the home team receiving the Third Division championship trophy. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. Within a few hours of the blaze starting, it was established that 56 people had been killed, many as a result of smoke inhalation, although some of them had survived until reaching hospital.[11]. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. Forty-two minutes into the first half of the game, he looked to his left to see smoke and flames rising from the old wooden seats. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. We couldn't breathe. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. "I was in the stand opposite when the fire broke out. [58] Following this report, Leslie Brownlie, who was the nephew in question, is reported to have said that his uncle never made such an admission of starting the fire. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. Mr Tony Delahunte, who was presenting a programme from the ground for Pennine Radio, said 'The fire seemed to me to start with a smoke bomb. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. All you could hear was sirens and screams. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. [8][9] In the crowd were local dignitaries and guests from three of Bradford's twin townsVerviers in Belgium, and Mnchengladbach and Hamm in West Germany. Pendleton: "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. Burning timbers and molten materials fell from the roof onto the crowd and seating below, and dense black smoke enveloped a passageway behind the stand, where many spectators were trying to escape. The main stand at Bradford was not surrounded by fencing, and therefore most of the spectators in it could escape onto the pitch if they had been penned in then the death toll would inevitably have been in the hundreds if not the thousands. Bradford City players line up to observe a minutes silence for the 25th anniversary of the 1985 Bradford stadium fire prior to the Coca Cola League. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. Those who escaped walked to a nearby pub to use the phone to ring home, while others arrived in a daze outside the police headquarters to try and trace relatives. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. 56 people dead. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. "[33], Central to the test case were two letters sent to Bradford City's Club Secretary by the West Yorkshire Fire Brigade; the second letter dated 18 July 1984 specifically highlighted in full the improvements needed to be actioned at the ground as well as the fire risk at the main stand. "[37], Fletcher subsequently published a book in 2015, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire which revealed a history of fires at businesses owned by the Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham. Twenty nine years ago on this date, 56 people tragically died when a fire erupted at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground The day was supposed to be one of celebration for Bradford who had just won the Third Division trophy. I don't see that. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. "[55], Adams also went on to state that "I have read in some newspapers that he is being berated for his campaign to have a new inquiry. [11] Those who escaped were taken out of the ground to neighbouring homes and a pub, where a television screened World of Sport, which broadcast video recorded of the fire just an hour after it was filmed. "Since then I have thought of everything we could have done, but we didn't have the presence of mind to run across the pitch and tell people to get out. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. ', Bradford City Fire Website messages of condolence from around the world, "Chuckle Brothers' single for Bradford City fire anniversary", "Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire", "Emotive play of Bradford City fire disaster raises cash for burns unit", "Book Review: Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire by Paul Firth football book reviews", "Football Focus 1st May 2010 Bradford City Part 1", Bradford City A year of healing Documentary, "Bradford fire: expert demands new investigation into blaze", "Bradford City stadium fire 1985 IPCC investigation decision", "BRADFORD CITY FIRE: Accidental cause of tragedy 'not in any doubt', says detective", "Bradford City fire 'started by cigarette', "Bradford City fire: Briton attacks 'inaccurate' BBC documentary claiming his uncle started blaze", "Bradford fire: Sir Oliver Popplewell defends 1985 inquiry interview in full", Living with Jacko From Touchline to Lifeline, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire, The full Interim Report by Lord Popplewell into the Bradford City Fire, British Medical Journal article on the treatment of burns casualties after the Bradford City Fire, Peter Jackson's account of the Bradford City Fire, Nationally broadcast Yorkshire Television programme covering the fire, broadcast the following day, ITN bulletin covering the fire, also from the following day, ITN bulletin covering the aftermath, from three days later, Chelsea F.C. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". As a result, Bradford-born captain Peter Jackson was presented with the league trophy before the final game of the season with mid-table Lincoln City at Valley Parade on 11 May 1985. Lincoln City's board responded by committing 1.1million (3.5million today) to their ground's renovation in the year that immediately followed the fire at Valley Parade, and over the following decade made improvements that eventually totalled 3million. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. It was clear from what the Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire, Mr Graham Karran, said yesterday that the ground was far from safe. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Revealed: former Bradford chairman linked to at least eight fires before Valley Parade disaster, Martin Fletcher: Maybe the reason I am here is to finally reveal the truth, TheStory of the Bradford Fire: could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?.
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