The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. "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. 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 referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". "[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. [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. Fifty-six people died. 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. Samuel Firth, a founder of the supporters' club, was the oldest victim at 86; four 11-year-old boys were the youngest. 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. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. [15] They included three who tried to escape through the toilets, 27 who were found by exit K and turnstiles 6 to 9 at the rear centre of the stand, and two elderly people who had died in their seats. 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. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. ", ITV football commentator John Helm, who provided live commentary of the unfolding disaster across the nation: "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. [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. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. 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! There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. Footage of the accident at this point shows levels of confusion among the spectatorswhile many were trying to escape or to cross the pitch to the relative safety of the neighbouring stands, other spectators were observed cheering or waving to the still-rolling pitchside cameras. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. She was an. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. 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. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. 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. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. 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. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. This day was for them. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. [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. "We couldn't help because there were so many people streaming towards us, to our side of the pitch, to get away from the heat. Bradford City initially prospered in the Second Division only missing out on promotion to the First Division in 1988 after failing to beat Ipswich Town at home on the final day of their first full season back at Valley Parade. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". On 11 May 1985 a blaze ripped through Bradford City stadium's wooden structure in minutes as the club played Lincoln City in an end of season match. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. 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. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. 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. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. 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. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). Surviving supporters, former Bradford players, the sole television commentator at the stadium and the judge who led the government inquiry tell the BBC about that fateful afternoon and its aftermath. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. Fifty-six people died. 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. 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'. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. 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. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. "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. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. The game was irrelevant. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. "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.". 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. [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. 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. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. [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. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. [6], The 198485 season had been one of Bradford City's most successful seasons, ending with City clinching the championship title courtesy of a 20 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the penultimate game of the season. Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. [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. [49], Parrs Wood Press published Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire (2005) by author Paul Firth;[50] the title refers to the estimated time it took for the stand to be completely ablaze from the first flames being spotted. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. 527 votes, 98 comments. I have never had to deal with such a situation before, and this has put the city on its heels.'. People pushed him to the ground and tried to smother the flames. Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the history of British football. The main stand at Valley Parade burned down after what was thought to be a dropped cigarette led to flames which engulfed the entire wooden structure. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. 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. Led by former England international Trevor Cherry, the Bantams won only their third divisional title and earned a return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1937. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime.
