[46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. The game was irrelevant.". Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. One letter from the council said the problems "should be rectified as soon as possible"; a second said: "A carelessly discarded cigarette could give rise to a fire risk." Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. I had no idea. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". In those days there was a lot of hooliganism and violence, so my initial thought was: 'I hope it has not kicked off - that's the last thing we need'. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. 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. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. Fifty-six people died. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. [3] It included a main stand which seated 5,300fans, and had room for a further 7,000 standing spectators in the paddock in front. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. Uncensored coverage of the fire was transmitted minutes after the event on World of Sport and the BBC's Grandstand after the video cassette was physically driven to Yorkshire Television. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. "[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. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. Wildman: "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. [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. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". The horrific scenes of people burning alive seemed to live on in an eerie silence as daylight broke over the remains of Bradford City Football Club's ground yesterday. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. People were scrambling for their lives to get out, and I know having sat in that stand normally that it is difficult and there is a drop to get to the pitch level," Harrison says. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. The main stand at Valley Parade burned down after what was thought to be a dropped cigarette led to flames which engulfed the entire wooden structure. 527 votes, 98 comments. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. Criticising Bradford City during the case, Mr. Michael Ogden QC, highlighted that the Club 'gave no or very little thought to fire precautions', despite repeated warnings. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. [56], On 17 April 2015, retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer, in a report by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, said the police were aware of an Australian man who admitted to starting the fire. In the last few years, the BCFC kit-man John Duckworth did a sponsored 73-mile walk between Lincoln's Sincil Bank stadium and Valley Parade, joined by Bradford fans along the way. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. 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. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). "[59], Raymond Falconer's reliability had previously been questioned by Daniel Taylor in The Guardian who stated that: "The Bradford Telegraph and Argus described him as a 'top detective'. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". The team was presented with the Division Three championship trophy - their first trophy in 56 years - in front of 11,000 jubilant fans before the start of their match against Lincoln City. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. [45] In total, 28 police officers and 22 supporters, who were publicly documented as having saved at least one life, later received police commendations or bravery awards. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. One man clambered over burning seats to help a fan, as did player John Hawley, and one officer led fans to an exit, only to find it shut and turn around.Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand, ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. We went over to the policeman stood at the corner flag and asked if it was being sorted out, and he said it was under control," Harrison says. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. "I'm taking the opportunity to lay out the facts that were not laid out in 1985 at the time of the inquiry or the inquests. Loading. We couldn't breathe. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. "I got pushed down to the front and I remember looking around and suddenly this smouldering, small fire had taken over virtually half a block and was starting to hit the roof. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. Fletcher, who was 12 at the time of the fire, does not make any direct allegations but he does believe Heginbotham's history with fires resulting in payouts of around 27m in today's terms warrants further investigation. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. Most of the exits at the back were locked or shut and there were no stewards present to open them, but seven were forced open or found open. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. [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. 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. "Me and my dad eventually got out safely but it was a bit of a struggle at one point because the walls getting down to the pitch level were quite high I didn't get a growth spurt until I was 16 or 17.". [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. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. People pushed him to the ground and tried to smother the flames. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. "[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]. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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. 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. 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]. Hillsborough looms the largest in our collective consciousness, but there were also the many deaths that occurred at Heysel Stadium in 1985, as well as the Bradford City stadium fire that same year. Come celebrate the beastly realm and our place in it and with it, an even more radically inclusive and sustainable city and global community in 2023: ANIMALIA! Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. [26], In July 1985, an inquest was held into the deaths; at the hearings the coroner James Turnbull recommended a death by misadventure outcome, with which the jury agreed. BBC Sport looks back at the Bradford City fire disaster that claimed the lives of 56 spectators when a stand became engulfed in flames on 11 May 1985. Nigel Adams who worked for 12 years as a fire investigator with a British fire service was spurred on by the book to join the call for a fresh inquiry, stating that Fletcher's book was "one of the best accounts of a fire, as seen from a victim's point of view, and as a piece of investigative writing, I have ever read". 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. 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. Mr Stefan Krolak, a survivor from Bradford , said he saw the smoke start a few seats away from him 'The smoke seemed suddenly to set on fire. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. A new book, written by Valley Parade survivor Martin Fletcher, claims then-Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham had previously netted millions of pounds from insurance payouts after at least eight previous fires at businesses he was associated with. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. The fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium in which 56 people died and more than 270 were injured is remembered 25 years on. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. Fletcher said that "The club at the time took no actual responsibility for its actions and nobody has ever really been held accountable for the level of negligence which took place.
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