At 3.40pm, television commentator John Helm remarked upon a small fire in the main stand; in less than four minutes, with the windy conditions, the fire had engulfed the whole stand, trapping some people in their seats. Stories From 11 May. "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. 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. Bradford fan David Pendleton, then aged 21 and stood in the main stand: "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. 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. This day was for them. Brooklyn fire: Lumber storage warehouse in Williamsburg goes up in The Man burns on September 02, 2023. "[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. 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." [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. "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. He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. 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. She was an. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. Bradford City Fire disaster: 36 years on the city's pioneering burns Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. 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. That's when everybody else had the same thought. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. 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. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. 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. "[35], The total amount of compensation to the 154 claimants was reported to be as high as 20million, with the payouts covered by insurance taken out by the club. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. 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. 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. [2] The main stand was described as a "mammoth structure", but was unusual for its time because of its place on the side of a hill. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. Four police officers, constables David Britton and John Richard Ingham and chief inspectors Charles Frederick Mawson and Terence Michael Slocombe, and two spectators, Richard Gough and David Hustler, were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for their actions. Bradford City fire: Police reveal who was responsible for 1985 Valley Burning Man - Wikipedia Fifty-six people died. Bradford fire: The Valley Parade disaster 30 years on Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. The courts held the club to be two thirds responsible, finding that it gave "no or very little thought to fire precautions" despite repeated warnings. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. [4] Football ground writer Simon Inglis had described the view from the stand as "like watching football from the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel" because of its antiquated supports and struts. 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. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). I've never seen anything like it. [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. The smoke was choking. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. I had no idea. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. 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". The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. 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. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. "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.". The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken Daniel Taylor The policewoman assigned to the grieving Fletchers gets goosebumps when she looks back to 30 years ago. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. "[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. A call was made on a police radio to the police operations room in Bradford and relayed to the fire brigade at 3.43 pm. Bradford City stadium fire | Football Wiki | Fandom More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. [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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". "A lot of investigative work had been done by the police when I got there. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. Christopher Hammond, who was 12 on the day, said on the 20th anniversary of the fire: "As a 12-year-old, it was easy to move on I didn't realise how serious it was until I looked at the press coverage over the next few days. Fire disaster at football match (Bradford City stadium fire) We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. The stories of escapes are legion. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. On 11 May 1985 a blaze ripped through Bradford City stadium's wooden structure in minutes as the club played Lincoln City in an end of season match. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire that devastated Valley Parade Thirty years after football's 'forgotten tragedy', the truth of what exactly happened when 56. he asks. Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. "[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'. What Is Burning Man? A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. Bradford fire 11.5.1985.mpg - video Dailymotion "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.". So I decided to give it that next push. It detailed the safety work which would be carried out at Valley Parade as a result of the club's promotion, admitting the ground was "inadequate in so many ways for modern requirements". "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. "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. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985 | Fire Brigades Union [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. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. "We couldn't help because there were so many people streaming towards us, to our side of the pitch, to get away from the heat. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. [36], In 2010, Susan Fletcher's son and survivor of the Bradford City fire (and witness to the Hillsborough disaster), Martin Fletcher, openly criticised the club's hierarchy at the time of the fire and the subsequent investigation. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. It seemed to put it out. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. 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. 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. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. When Town reached the Midland Road side of the pitch, he was faced with horrific scenes of the injured being treated and comforted by ambulance crews, fans and players. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". On 23 February 1987, Sir Joseph Cantley found the club two thirds responsible and the county council (which by this time had been abolished) one third responsible. On Saturday 11 May 2002, the 17th anniversary of the disaster, a memorial with the names of those who lost their lives was dedicated at the new entrance to the redeveloped Sunwin stand. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. Bradford City Stadium Fire: The Forgotten Fire Tragedy of 1985 that Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. The smoke was choking. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. I had no idea. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". [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. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. [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. [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. As he received the injured at Bradford Royal Infirmary he was able to call upon 10% of the UK's population of plastic surgeons. "[27], After controversial comments made by Popplewell about the Hillsborough Disaster, Fletcher raised further concerns about the events following the fire saying that "I have many unanswered questions still about the fire in which four of my family died, as does my mother. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions.
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