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. [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. Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985 | Fire Brigades Union Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. BBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire 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. "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.". There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. 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. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. 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. 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]. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. There were no fire extinguishers. 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. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." Fifty-six people died. 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. [8], The Bradford City matchday squad of players and staff consisted of Terry Yorath, Trevor Cherry, Chris Withe, Don Goodman, Eric McManus, Tony Clegg, John Hawley, Dave Evans, Bryan Edwards, John Hendrie, Mark Ellis, Stuart McCall, Peter Jackson, Bobby Campbell, Martin Singleton and Greg Abbott. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. 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! "[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. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. 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. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. Survival Guide 2022 BBC News - Bradford fire 'will live with me forever' Mr Stefan Krolak, a survivor from Bradford , said he saw the smoke start a few seats away from him 'The smoke seemed suddenly to set on fire. Fire kills 50 at soccer stadium - HISTORY Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. 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.. Burning Man.NYC. Bradford City Stadium Fire: The Forgotten Fire Tragedy of 1985 that Loading. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". She was an. 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. She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. 'The smoke was very, very dense. 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". I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". [10] Of those who died, 11 were under-18 and 23 were aged 65 or over,[20] and the oldest victim was the club's former chairman, Sam Firth, aged 86. '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.'. The worst fire disaster in English football history played out on live television on May 11, after Valley Parade's main stand caught fire during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on . No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. One elderly man started to walk across the pitch with his clothes and face ablaze. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. The game was irrelevant. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. All that was left of. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. We had not been told anything.". 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. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). 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. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. [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. All that was left of the main stand were rows of bare steel and stone, with blackened timbers hanging from the few remaining roof supports. The Bradford City stadium fire : r/MorbidReality "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. The fire claimed young and old alike, with most fatalities occurring at the rear of the stand where people sought escape only to find turnstiles locked. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. Bradford City Stadium Fire 56 Dead & 100's Injured The Bradford City stadium fire was a stadium disaster that occurred during an English League Third Division fixture between Bradford City and Lincoln City on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 and injuring at least 265. You could hardly breathe. Bradford City players line up to observe a minutes silence for the 25th anniversary of the 1985 Bradford stadium fire prior to the Coca Cola League. 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. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. Bradford fire: The Valley Parade disaster 30 years on [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. [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. Pendleton: "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. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. 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. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. 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. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. [8][9] In the crowd were local dignitaries and guests from three of Bradford's twin townsVerviers in Belgium, and Mnchengladbach and Hamm in West Germany. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. 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. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. 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. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. Bradford City Stadium Fire - 36 years ago today | RedCafe.net "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . **The Bradford City Stadium Tragedy** - Firehouse Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Revealed: former Bradford chairman linked to at least eight fires before Valley Parade disaster, Martin Fletcher: Maybe the reason I am here is to finally reveal the truth, TheStory of the Bradford Fire: could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. "[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. "I looked up and saw the flames. So I decided to give it that next push. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. What Is Burning Man? | Burning Man Criticising Bradford City during the case, Mr. Michael Ogden QC, highlighted that the Club 'gave no or very little thought to fire precautions', despite repeated warnings. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. Fire on Upper Castle Street, Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post On This Day 1985: The Bradford City Fire 0:15 Bradford Mill fire 24:43 The Bradford Fire 0:26 Large fire in Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post Bradford Mill fire 0:34 Bradford Great Horton Mill fire 0:10 Fire at Bradford school (video: Glynn Beck) 4:05 bradford city fc fire 1985 We couldn't breathe. 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 . He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken England won the re-match 64. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. Within five minutes the whole stand was engulfed in flames. 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. Stories From 11 May. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. I've never seen anything like it. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters 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. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. 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. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. Lincoln City's board responded by committing 1.1million (3.5million today) to their ground's renovation in the year that immediately followed the fire at Valley Parade, and over the following decade made improvements that eventually totalled 3million. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. 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. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. Burning Man NYC "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". Otherwise, I would not have been able 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. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. 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. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. [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. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. The chairman of the football club, Mr Stafford Heginbotham, was near to tears as he explained what had happened. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. Wildman: "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. The blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. 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 stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. 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. "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.". 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. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. Bradford City stadium fire disaster: In memory of the 56 victims [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. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. Brooklyn fire: Lumber storage warehouse in Williamsburg goes up in The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. 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. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. Soon they were all running for their lives. 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. The two sides met for the first time after the fire in April 1989, when they arranged a benefit match in aid of the Hillsborough disaster, at Valley Parade. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. 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. 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. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. 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. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. 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'. The 1985 Bradford City Stadium fire remembered - IFSEC Global 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. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. 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. 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. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. 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. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. 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. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done.
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