"That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. "It made me realise life is too short." Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. [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. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. [27], Explaining his decision, Sir Joseph Cantley stated: "As I have already stated, the primary duty was on the Club and the functions of the County Council were supervisory and its liability is for negligent breach of a common law duty arising out of the way in which they dealt with or ignored their statutory powers. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Although there was no perimeter fencing, such as led to the devastating crush at Hillsborough, locked turnstiles meant that many fans who tried to escape by that means were killed or seriously injured. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. 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. Following the hearing in 1986, a test case was brought against the club by David Britton, a police sergeant serving on the day, and by Susan Fletcher, who lost her husband John, 11-year-old son Andrew, John's brother Peter and his father Edmond in the fire. [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. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. he asks. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. "We stayed in the pub for hours. 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. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. 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. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. Treatment of casualties and Burns Research Unit, Dramatisations, documentaries and published works, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of accidents and disasters by death toll, List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll, "Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day", "Caught in Time: Bradford City win the Third Division, 1985", "EXCLUSIVE: Bradford's Valley Parade fire must be remembered like Hillsborough", "History of The Bradford Sling The Bradford Sling", "Bradford City football stadium blaze surgeon honoured", "Research centre to be living memorial to Bradford City FC fire disaster", "The Papers of the Popplewell Inquiry into Crowd Safety at Sports Grounds", "Popplewell Inquiry Bradford City Fire", "Bradford remembered: The unheeded warnings that led to tragedy", Joseph Canley summing up statement from test case court transcripts, Newspaper report from Sport and the Law April 21st 1989, "The Glasgow Herald Google News Archive Search", Los Angeles Times report on Bradford City test case findings, Court transcript from the test case brought by Susan Fletcher and Others against Bradford City and Others, "Bradford fire survivor attacks judge over Hillsborough comments", "The Story of the Bradford Fire: 'could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham? All that was left of. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. People had walked through turnstiles and along a wooden corridor before descending the steps into their seats. What Is Burning Man? Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. 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. The smoke was choking. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. Somebody looked round and grabbed me by the hood of my coat to pull me over. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. However, the turnstiles were locked and none of the stadium staff were present to unlock them, leaving no escape through the normal entrances and exits. 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 Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr Colin Sampson, said yesterday that a team of doctors and pathologists had worked throughout the night trying to identify the dead. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. Wildman: "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. 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 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 There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. I dread to imagine how many more could have died if the wind had been blowing in the direction of the pitch, instead of away from it. Pendleton: "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. 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. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". [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. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. "I looked up and saw the flames. [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. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. There has been reports of people lighting paper under the seats, and it was important that as many fans as possible who were in the stand or at the Kop end contacted the police. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. We had not been told anything.". 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". [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. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. 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. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. 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 club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. "We couldn't run back down the tunnel. 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". Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". And all you could smell was burning.". The Bradford Disaster Appeal fund, set up within 48hours of the disaster, eventually raised over 3.5million (11.3million today). [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. ", 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. Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the history of British football. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. 'It is the worst day in my life. Forty-two minutes into the first half of the game, he looked to his left to see smoke and flames rising from the old wooden seats. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST Crowds on the pitch at the Valley Parade stadium after a stand caught fire Getty Images Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible. 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. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. [48] Profits from the play's run at The Edinburgh Fringe were donated to the Bradford Burns Unit. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. It was to be our day,' he said. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. 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 game was irrelevant. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. (2015), 2003 Football League Third Division play-off final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradford_City_stadium_fire&oldid=1141323458, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Articles needing additional references from May 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fan attempted to extinguish a lit cigarette, it slipped through floorboards and fell on rubbish, igniting it. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. 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. 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. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. 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. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. 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. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. "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. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. 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". BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. You could hardly breathe. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. [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. 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. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. "[16] As spectators began to cascade over the wall separating the stand from the pitch, the linesman on that side of the pitch informed referee Norman Glover, who stopped the game with three minutes remaining before half-time. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. It was an awful thing to watch.". Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. 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. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters 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. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. "All you could see was black cloud. The government inquiry into the disaster concluded the fire spread "faster than a man could run". 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 courts held the club to be two thirds responsible, finding that it gave "no or very little thought to fire precautions" despite repeated warnings. "[35], The total amount of compensation to the 154 claimants was reported to be as high as 20million, with the payouts covered by insurance taken out by the club. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. 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. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. Four police officers, constables David Britton and John Richard Ingham and chief inspectors Charles Frederick Mawson and Terence Michael Slocombe, and two spectators, Richard Gough and David Hustler, were awarded the Queen's Gallantry Medal for their actions. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. It was unprecedented.". [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. [26], In July 1985, an inquest was held into the deaths; at the hearings the coroner James Turnbull recommended a death by misadventure outcome, with which the jury agreed. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. Called 'The 56' the play dramatises actual accounts of the Bradford City Fire with the purpose of the play showing how in times of adversity, the Football Club and the local community came together. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". 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. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. From 50 to 60 yards away, it was burning our faces it was unbearable. 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. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. Part of the service was also held in Urdu and Punjabi as a sign of appreciation to the local ethnically Asian Subcontinental community in Manningham, Bradford and around Valley Parade who had opened their homes to Bradford City supporters to provide assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. Part of the Appeal funds were raised by a recording of "You'll Never Walk Alone"[42] from Rodgers and Hammerstein's musical Carousel by The Crowd (including Gerry Marsden of Gerry and the Pacemakers, who had recorded the 1963 version that led to Liverpool adopting it as their motto and team song), which reached number one in the UK Singles chart. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. 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! 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. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. 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. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. 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." One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. 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. My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. That's when everybody else had the same thought. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. [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. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. "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. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. 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 was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden.
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