[10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. According to ABC News, though, several hundred people in the Chinese city of Luoyang decided to cut loose on Christmas night 2000 by heading to a nightclub housed on the fourth floor of a multi-use industrial building.A fire broke out in the basement of the structure . It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". 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. 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. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. 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. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. We didn't know how serious it was.". While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. 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. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. [6], The 198485 season had been one of Bradford City's most successful seasons, ending with City clinching the championship title courtesy of a 20 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the penultimate game of the season. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. "It wasn't covering anything up, it wasn't avoiding the truth of what happened, everyone knows what happened, everyone knows it shouldn't have happened. A giant Christian cross, made up of two large charred wooden members[44] that had once been part of the stand, was constructed in front of the middle of the stand and behind the pitchside speaker's platform. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. 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. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. He went on to state: "In 1985 fire investigation in Britain was in its infancy and some would say at that time most fire investigators were not much more than dust-kickers. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. The extinguishers were put there so that they would be out of the way of fans who could use them as missiles, which apparently had happened previously. "It made me realise life is too short." [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. 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. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. I don't see that. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. 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. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . "I looked up and saw the flames. 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. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." 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. **The Bradford City Stadium Tragedy** - Firehouse Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. 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. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. 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. 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. "[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]. Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. BBC News - Bradford fire 'will live with me forever' There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". 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. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". [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. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. [32] Speaking at the close of the case, the Judge said "They (the club) were at fault, no one in authority seemed to have appreciated the fire hazard. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. [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. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. "[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'. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. ", ITV football commentator John Helm, who provided live commentary of the unfolding disaster across the nation: "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. The intensity of the blaze which spread 'quicker than people could walk' destroyed the main stand area, leaving a skeleton of burned seats, lamps and fences. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. Bradford City fire was started by a tourist who dropped a cigarette "We stayed in the pub for hours. 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. Burning Man NYC It has a black marble fascia on which the names and ages of those that died are inscribed in gold, and a black marble platform on which people can leave flowers and mementos. Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. Surviving supporters, former Bradford players, the sole television commentator at the stadium and the judge who led the government inquiry tell the BBC about that fateful afternoon and its aftermath. What Is Burning Man? | Burning Man 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. 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. 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. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. Fifty-six people died. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. One elderly man started to walk across the pitch with his clothes and face ablaze. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. Bradford City Fire disaster: 36 years on the city's pioneering burns "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. 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. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. One, now re-situated to that end of the stand where the fire began, is a sculpture donated on the initial re-opening of Valley Parade in December 1986 by Sylvia Graucob, a then Jersey-based former West Yorkshire woman. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. ", 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. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". 'This was a dreadful afternoon. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. [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. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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. 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. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. England won the re-match 64. It took the firemen four minutes to arrive at the ground but the speed of the fire was such that the blaze also took only four minutes to grip the entire stand. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. "[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. However, there is a lot in this book that troubles me about the science, or lack of it, used in the testing of the investigators' hypothesis as to the source of the ignition. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT 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 whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. However, the responsibility of the Club is, in my view, very much the greater and I apportion responsibility between the two defendants as to two-thirds on the first defendant and one-third on the third (sic) defendant. 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. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. One family was in tears, the mother shaking. 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. The smoke was choking. Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. Loading. 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. A discarded cigarette and a dilapidated wooden stand, which had survived because the club did not have the money to replace it, and accumulated paper litter, were considered to have conspired to cause the worst disaster in the history of the Football League. "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. Warnings had been issued over the ground's antiquated wooden structure, which had been condemned and was due to be pulled down and replaced with steel and concrete. 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. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. At 3.40pm, five minutes before half-time, a glowing light was spotted three rows from the back of block G. "We were stood in line with the 18-yard, the penalty area, when we saw some smoke and a bit of fire diagonally from where we were. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. 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. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. 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. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. 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. 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. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. 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". 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. 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. 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. [53], In 1986, a year after the disaster, Yorkshire Television aired a documentary presented by John Helm entitled Bradford City A Year of Healing. 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. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." ', 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. 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. Bradford fire: The Valley Parade disaster 30 years on 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. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken It was unprecedented.". Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden bench consumed the entire stand in under four minutes.Original TV footage: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x31qcmtIf you would like to support this channel - https://buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEyeAlthough focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. 527 votes, 98 comments. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history.