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. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. 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. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night of Burning Man, which is the Saturday evening before Labor Day. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. 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. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). 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". 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. [citation needed] Spectators later spoke of initially feeling their feet becoming warmer; one of them ran to the back of the stand for a fire extinguisher but found none. 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. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. The match, Bradford against Lincoln, was to have been a joyous climax to the club winning the Third Division championship and being promoted to the Second Division. 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. [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. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. 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. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. Last edited: May 11, 2021 May 11, 2019 #2 JohnnyKills Full Member Joined Jan 8, 2016 Messages 6,902 Yeah footage is horrendous isn't it. 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." 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. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". 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. ", Hendrie: "The players were told to go to the pub at the top of the road, we didn't know at this point if anyone had been killed. "I looked up and saw the flames. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. I've never seen anything like it. Samuel Firth, a founder of the supporters' club, was the oldest victim at 86; four 11-year-old boys were the youngest. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". 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 way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. 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. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernisation of many British football grounds within the following thirty years. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". 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. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. (2015), 2003 Football League Third Division play-off final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradford_City_stadium_fire&oldid=1141323458, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Articles needing additional references from May 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fan attempted to extinguish a lit cigarette, it slipped through floorboards and fell on rubbish, igniting it. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. Although some attributed Lincoln City's sudden demise to the psychological effects of the fire on its players (together with the resignation of successful manager Colin Murphy shortly before the fire), it symbolised the wider crisis that the introduction of new safety legislation brought to Lincoln's Sincil Bank home. The smoke was choking. That's when everybody else had the same thought. "[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]. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. 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. Led by former England international Trevor Cherry, the Bantams won only their third divisional title and earned a return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1937. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". 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. 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. About 3,000 people were in Valley Parade's main stand, escaping by climbing over walls on to the pitch or through the usual exit gates. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. 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. "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. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. 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. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. All you could hear was sirens and screams. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. 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]. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. 'I have to tell you that the fire was so intense that identifying people is going to be the great problem we have to face.'. 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. I do not include the people currently running the club, who have always displayed a great, sensitive duty to the memory of those who died. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. All that was left of. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. 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. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. It was to be our day,' he said. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. One elderly man started to walk across the pitch with his clothes and face ablaze. Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. "[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. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. "[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. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the football club area, who was injured in the fire said that many policemen cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. "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. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. Some days I had two operations in a day. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. 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. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. From 50 to 60 yards away, it was burning our faces it was unbearable. 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]. The blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . [49], Parrs Wood Press published Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire (2005) by author Paul Firth;[50] the title refers to the estimated time it took for the stand to be completely ablaze from the first flames being spotted. 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. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. 'The smoke was very, very dense. ", "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. [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. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. 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 mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" [57] Following the 30th anniversary of the fire, a number of news organisations named this man as Eric Bennett who was visiting his nephew in Bradford from Australia and attended the game on the day. England won the re-match 64. People were wandering around outside the ground in disbelief, reminiscent of an air disaster, at what had happened the day before. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. 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. [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. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. 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. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. It seemed to put it out. [48] Profits from the play's run at The Edinburgh Fringe were donated to the Bradford Burns Unit. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. It was later established that the blaze was caused by a fan who went to put his cigarette out but dropped it between the floorboards onto a . "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. "The letters that went to the club, the council's failings, the police's failings, even as supporters we allowed a culture where the gates were locked. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. [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. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . The game was irrelevant. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. It was an awful thing to watch.". However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. 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. 'They did not have a chance. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. "[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 courts held the club to be two thirds responsible, finding that it gave "no or very little thought to fire precautions" despite repeated warnings. 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". Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. 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. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. 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. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. We had not been told anything.". "As I ran away I remember turning around and looking and just seeing this wall of grey smoke pouring out and pushing thousands of people in front of it. At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. "As a 15-year-old, you don't really know how much of an impact an event like that will have on your life," Town says. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. Heginbotham died in 1995, aged 61, and was never prosecuted for the stadium fire, despite the coroner later saying he had given serious consideration to bringing a charge of manslaughter as the club had failed to act on three separate warnings about a potential fire risk.
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