"Then we ran out in our tracksuits each holding a massive card with a letter. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - HISTORY When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT We had not been told anything.". 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. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. People were falling on to each other and screaming. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. 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. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. All you could hear was sirens and screams. [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. And all you could smell was burning.". That's when everybody else had the same thought. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. 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. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. The fundraising events included a reunion of the 1966 World Cup Final Starting XI that began with the original starting teams of both England and West Germany, and was held at Leeds United's stadium, Elland Road, in July 1985 to raise funds for the Appeal fund. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . "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. 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. Among the main outcomes of the inquiry were the banning of new wooden grandstands at all UK sports grounds, the immediate closure of other wooden stands deemed unsafe and the banning of smoking in other wooden stands. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. Somebody looked round and grabbed me by the hood of my coat to pull me over. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. Bradford fire 11.5.1985.mpg - video Dailymotion They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. 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. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. Bradford City stadium fire disaster: In memory of the 56 victims "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.". '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.'. 527 votes, 98 comments. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the history of British football. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. "[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. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." [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. Some days I had two operations in a day. Mr Tony Delahunte, who was presenting a programme from the ground for Pennine Radio, said 'The fire seemed to me to start with a smoke bomb. > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. 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. 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. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. Some of the dead were found at the bottom of these steps. His father Tony went back the following day and said: "I wondered how anybody had got out alive, but I also began to feel guilty that I had got out when so many hadn't." 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. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. "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.". More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. Burning Man - Wikipedia "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. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. The stand had no perimeter fencing to keep fans from accessing the pitch, thus averting an instance of crush asphyxia as in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. "We couldn't run back down the tunnel. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. The inquiry into the disaster, chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell and known as the Popplewell Inquiry,[25] led to the introduction of new legislation to improve safety at the UK's football grounds. "I was in the main stand when the fire happened," he says. ', 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. "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. 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 saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. [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. Bradford City stadium fire. A football match in Bradford UK ends [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. "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. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . 56 dead and hundreds more injured. ", 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 want the truth to be out, the myths to be broken, so that I can get on with my life rather than knowing this information and having to live with this information. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. "It made me realise life is too short." The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. No fire extinguishers had been installed over fears of vandalism and less than four minutes after the fire was reported, the fire had engulfed the whole stand. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. 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. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. The government inquiry into the disaster concluded the fire spread "faster than a man could run". I had no idea. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters I had no idea. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. 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 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]. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. 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. 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. 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. [58] Following this report, Leslie Brownlie, who was the nephew in question, is reported to have said that his uncle never made such an admission of starting the fire. Bradford City Stadium Fire: The Forgotten Fire Tragedy of 1985 that 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. The Bradford Disaster Appeal fund, set up within 48hours of the disaster, eventually raised over 3.5million (11.3million today). "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. he asks. "[27], After controversial comments made by Popplewell about the Hillsborough Disaster, Fletcher raised further concerns about the events following the fire saying that "I have many unanswered questions still about the fire in which four of my family died, as does my mother. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. "[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]. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. One family was in tears, the mother shaking. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. BBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. 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". Bradford City stadium fire | Football Wiki | Fandom [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. [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. I've never seen anything like it. 56 people dead. Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. Burning Man Countdown | Burning Man More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. [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. Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame The blaze is believed to have begun when a dropped cigarette lit rubbish under the wooden seats of the wooden Main Stand at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium 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. 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. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. The game was irrelevant. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. [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. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. Bradford fan Matthew Wildman, who was aged 17 and using crutches because of rheumatoid arthritis: "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. 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. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. "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. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. 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. This day was for them. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. [34], During the case, Sir Joseph Cantley stated that: "It is only right that I should say that I think it would be unfair to conclude that Heginbotham, Tordoff, the Board of Directors, or any of them, were intentionally and callously indifferent to the safety of spectators using the stand. The Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the fire risk that the rubbish accumulating under the stand had posed. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 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. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. 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. List of building or structure fires - Wikipedia What Is Burning Man? The plastic surgeon who treated the injuries of over 200, Professor David Sharpe, went on to set up a world-renowned burns research facility at the University of Bradford. 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. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. 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. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. [30], The outcome of the test case resulted in over 154 claims being addressed (110 civilians and 44 police officers)[31] by the injured or bereaved. 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. 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."