The smoke was choking. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. "[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'. Each year Lincoln send representatives to the annual memorial service in Bradford city centre and between 2007 and 2009, were managed by Bradford's captain that day, Peter Jackson. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. Some repair work was carried out, but in July 1984 the club was warned again, this time by a county council engineer, because of the club's plans to claim for ground improvements from the Football Trust. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. On the recording are Dene Michael (Black Lace), The Chuckle Brothers, Clive Jackson of Dr & The Medics, Owen Paul, Billy Pearce, Billy Shears, Flint Bedrock, Danny Tetley and Rick Wild of The Overlanders. 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 game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. Read about our approach to external linking. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. [15] They included three who tried to escape through the toilets, 27 who were found by exit K and turnstiles 6 to 9 at the rear centre of the stand, and two elderly people who had died in their seats. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. And all you could smell was burning.". 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. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. 56 people dead. "I was supposed to meet my father at my grandfather's house, but I was a bit late so I went straight to the game so I didn't miss the festivities.". 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. In the panic that ensued, fleeing crowds escaped on to the pitch but others at the back of the stand tried to break down locked exit doors to escape. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. 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'. [15] They included three who tried to escape through the toilets, 27 who were found by exit K and turnstiles 6 to 9 at the rear centre of the stand, and two elderly people who had died in their seats. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. 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. 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. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. He later died in hospital. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. "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. The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. However, the turnstiles were locked and none of the stadium staff were present to unlock them, leaving no escape through the normal entrances and exits. "[11] Police Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the area, said many of his officers cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. "We couldn't run back down the tunnel. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. [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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. Part of the Appeal funds were raised by a recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone"[42] from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Carousel by The Crowd (including Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers, who had recorded the 1963 version that led to Liverpool adopting it as their motto and team song), which reached number one in the UK Singles chart. "I've always loved art but I owned businesses in construction so I've never had the time or a chance to follow it up," he says. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. This day was for them. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. "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. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. Fire disaster at football match (Bradford City stadium fire) - YouTube Sign in to confirm your age 0:00 / 5:23 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users.. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. "[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]. Some of the dead were found at the bottom of these steps. What Is Burning Man? We wanted to record the trophy presentation. It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Popplewell's report was nowhere close to the quality of Lord Justice Taylor's report after Hillsborough, and since reading it as an adult I have always been very disappointed in it and considered it a poor piece of work. By this date the appeal fund set up for survivors had paid out more than 4m with further payouts expected as the effects of physical and mental injury were determined. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". There has been reports of people lighting paper under the seats, and it was important that as many fans as possible who were in the stand or at the Kop end contacted the police. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. Although there was no perimeter fencing, such as led to the devastating crush at Hillsborough, locked turnstiles meant that many fans who tried to escape by that means were killed or seriously injured. Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. All Rights Reserved. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. The chairman of the football club, Mr Stafford Heginbotham, was near to tears as he explained what had happened. The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr Colin Sampson, said yesterday that a team of doctors and pathologists had worked throughout the night trying to identify the dead. The plastic surgeon who treated the injuries of over 200, Professor David Sharpe, went on to set up a world-renowned burns research facility at the University of Bradford. We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. "[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. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. 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. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. There was hardly anything left of him.'. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. [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. My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. 527 votes, 98 comments. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. Lincoln City suffered two successive relegations, first to the Fourth Division in 1986, and again in 1987, becoming the first team to be automatically relegated from the Football League itself. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. 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. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. "I was in the main stand when the fire happened," he says. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. The Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. 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. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. There is a twin memorial sculpture, unveiled on 11 May 1986, which has the names of the dead inscribed on it. 'They did not have a chance. On 11 May 1985 a fire erupted in the midst of a third-division tie between Bradford City and Lincoln City at Valley Parade, killing 54 home supporters and two Lincoln fans. [7] As it was the first piece of league silverware that the club had captured since they won the Division Three (North) title 56years earlier, 11,076supporters were in the ground. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. From 50 to 60 yards away, it was burning our faces it was unbearable. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. 05/10/15 AT 12:00 PM BST Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire Getty Images Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. The money raised from this record was contributed to fund the internationally renowned burns unit that was established in partnership between the University of Bradford and Bradford Royal Infirmary, immediately after the fire, which has also been Bradford City's official charity for well over a decade. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. Pendleton: "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 timber construction of St. Andrew's Stand, Main Stand and the roof of its popular Railway End terrace were immediately condemned as fire hazards, which saw seating capacity briefly cut to nil. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. Website by, Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985, Fundraising for firefighters and their families. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. 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. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. [45] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". People pushed him to the ground and tried to smother the flames. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. Since then, it has been further re-developed and, today, Valley Parade is a modern 25,136 all-seater stadium, which is virtually unrecognisable from how it was at the time of the disaster, save for the original clubhouse that still stands beside the main stand, and the flank support wall that runs down the Hollywell Ash Lane at the "Bradford End". 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. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". "[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. [10] The stand seats did not have risers; this had allowed a large accumulation of rubbish and paper waste in the cavity space under the stand, which had not been cleared for many months. 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'. 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. We had not been told anything.". One man clambered over burning seats to help a fan,[18] as did player John Hawley,[15] and one officer led fans to an exit, only to find it shut and had to turn around. 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! Martin Fletcher, whose brother, father, grandfather and uncle all died in the 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. Footage of the accident at this point shows levels of confusion among the spectatorswhile many were trying to escape or to cross the pitch to the relative safety of the neighbouring stands, other spectators were observed cheering or waving to the still-rolling pitchside cameras. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. 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. They were at fault, but the fault was that no-one in authority seems ever to have properly appreciated the real gravity of this fire hazard and consequently no-one gave it the attention it certainly ought to have received. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. People ran onto the pitch with their clothes on fire while others were trapped at the back of the stand where they had gone to try to escape through the turnstiles. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. It is not thought that there was any crowd trouble in this section but one theory the police are investigating is that a flare or smoke-bomb was thrown or was accidentally dropped. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. The government inquiry into the disaster concluded the fire spread "faster than a man could run". 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. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". 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. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. The fire was described as the worst fire disaster in the history of British football, and the worst football related disaster since 66spectators died at Ibrox in 1971. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. [51] Another book; 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015) was written by Martin Fletcher to discuss how the disaster was caused, and follows his loss of his father, brother, uncle and grandfather. 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. [52], On 1 May 2010, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fire the football TV show Football Focus was hosted from Valley Parade by Dan Walker, the show included interviews with Terry Yorath and John Hendrie. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. Some days I had two operations in a day. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. The Documentary highlighted the 'poison pen letters' and graffiti targeted at the then club chairman Stafford Heginbotham over accusations that he was in some way personally responsible for the deaths of the 56 people who died at the fire.[54]. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". [27], Explaining his decision, Sir Joseph Cantley stated: "As I have already stated, the primary duty was on the Club and the functions of the County Council were supervisory and its liability is for negligent breach of a common law duty arising out of the way in which they dealt with or ignored their statutory powers. [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. 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. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off.
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