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It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. "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. 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. 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. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. 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. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. Fletcher has taken facts and presented them in such a way that it should make it moralistically impossible for this incident not to be looked at again. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. The game was irrelevant. He lit a cigarette and when it was coming to an end he put it down on to the floorboard and tried to put his foot on it to put it out. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. "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. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. 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. "[11] Police Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the area, said many of his officers cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. The other, situated by the main entrance, was donated by the club after its 7.5million (13million today) rebuilding of the original main stand in 2002. "[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. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. 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. I saw a group of people around the smoke laughing. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. [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. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. 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. 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. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. All that was left of. [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. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. In the last few years, the BCFC kit-man John Duckworth did a sponsored 73-mile walk between Lincoln's Sincil Bank stadium and Valley Parade, joined by Bradford fans along the way. 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. 56 people dead. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. 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. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. 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'. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. "A lot of investigative work had been done by the police when I got there. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. "I got pushed down to the front and I remember looking around and suddenly this smouldering, small fire had taken over virtually half a block and was starting to hit the roof. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Luckily, his father arrived home shortly after he did, but 30 years on, he still remembers the young woman who served him a Mars Bar and his father a coffee, who never made it out of the stadium. We didn't know how serious it was.". 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. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. 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. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. [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. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. Fire disaster at football match (Bradford City stadium fire) - YouTube Sign in to confirm your age 0:00 / 5:23 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users.. The chairman of the football club, Mr Stafford Heginbotham, was near to tears as he explained what had happened. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. Martin Fletcher, a Bradford fan who lost three generations of his family in the fire, published a memoir of the tragic event called Fifty-Six The Story Of The Bradford Fire, in which he claimed the blaze at Valley Parade was one of nine fires at businesses owned by or associated with Heginbotham. Following his own 15 year investigation Into the fire, which killed four of his family members while he escaped, former tax accountant Martin Fletcher released 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015). A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. Lincoln City chairman Bob Dorrian, centre, is joined by Former Imps Players Association chairman Trevor Swinburne, left, and chairman of the Red Imps. A bid of 350 has been made for the original painting and Town will sell 56 prints in memorial of those who lost their lives, with the aim of raising 3,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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. [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. 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. [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. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. [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. 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. 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. There were no fire extinguishers. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. 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. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. Website by, Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985, Fundraising for firefighters and their families. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. 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. 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. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. Fifty-six people died. Bradford City had just won the Third Division Championship and a record number of spectators over 11,000 had turned out to see the club presented with its first piece of league silverware in 56 years. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. 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. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. [45] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. 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. 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. After the fire, Bradford City also announced they would thereafter play with a black trim on their shirt sleeves as a permanent memorial to those who had died. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. 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. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. The main stand at Bradford was not surrounded by fencing, and therefore most of the spectators in it could escape onto the pitch if they had been penned in then the death toll would inevitably have been in the hundreds if not the thousands.
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