At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. Fifty-six people died. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. Survival Guide 2022 [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. 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. 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. On Saturday 11 May 2002, the 17th anniversary of the disaster, a memorial with the names of those who lost their lives was dedicated at the new entrance to the redeveloped Sunwin stand. 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. Although some attributed Lincoln City's sudden demise to the psychological effects of the fire on its players (together with the resignation of successful manager Colin Murphy shortly before the fire), it symbolised the wider crisis that the introduction of new safety legislation brought to Lincoln's Sincil Bank home. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. 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. "[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. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. [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. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. The match, Bradford against Lincoln, was to have been a joyous climax to the club winning the Third Division championship and being promoted to the Second Division. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". [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. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. 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. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Burning Man Countdown | Burning Man "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken 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". "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. 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. Those who escaped walked to a nearby pub to use the phone to ring home, while others arrived in a daze outside the police headquarters to try and trace relatives. ", 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. 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. 'They did not have a chance. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. [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. 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. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". 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. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. 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. 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. 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'. [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. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. "All you could see was black cloud. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. "I looked up and saw the flames. Bradford City stadium fire | Football Wiki | Fandom Bradford City Fire disaster: 36 years on the city's pioneering burns 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. "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.". 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. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. It was to be our day,' he said. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. Fire kills 50 at soccer stadium - HISTORY Some days I had two operations in a day. Bradford City Stadium Fire - 36 years ago today | RedCafe.net [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. [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. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. A new book, written by Valley Parade survivor Martin Fletcher, claims then-Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham had previously netted millions of pounds from insurance payouts after at least eight previous fires at businesses he was associated with. Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. People were scrambling for their lives to get out, and I know having sat in that stand normally that it is difficult and there is a drop to get to the pitch level," Harrison says. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. [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. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. 527 votes, 98 comments. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. I had no idea. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. 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. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. [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 blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. "I've always loved art but I owned businesses in construction so I've never had the time or a chance to follow it up," he says. 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. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. "[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. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". The timber construction of St. Andrew's Stand, Main Stand and the roof of its popular Railway End terrace were immediately condemned as fire hazards, which saw seating capacity briefly cut to nil. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. The fire was described as the worst fire disaster in the history of British football, and the worst football related disaster since 66spectators died at Ibrox in 1971. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. 56 people dead. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. 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. The fire happened during a football match. [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. "Since then I have thought of everything we could have done, but we didn't have the presence of mind to run across the pitch and tell people to get out. Burning Man NYC Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. The government inquiry into the disaster concluded the fire spread "faster than a man could run". [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. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. He later died in hospital. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. 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. "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. Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT It spelt out 'thank you fans'. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. "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. 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. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. ", 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. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. "The letters that went to the club, the council's failings, the police's failings, even as supporters we allowed a culture where the gates were locked. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. 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. 'It is the worst day in my life. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. The Bradford city stadium fire. 56 people died when a - reddit Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. 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. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. 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. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. 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. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. [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 was in the stand opposite when the fire broke out. Burning Man.NYC. The money raised from this record was contributed to fund the internationally renowned burns unit that was established in partnership between the University of Bradford and Bradford Royal Infirmary, immediately after the fire, which has also been Bradford City's official charity for well over a decade. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. 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. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". I looked down and I saw my hands melting. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. "It made me realise life is too short." [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. Bradford fire: The Valley Parade disaster 30 years on Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. 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. Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day 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. All you could hear was sirens and screams. Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". The Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. 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. Burning Man - Wikipedia [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. This day was for them. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he 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. Bradford City stadium fire - Wikipedia More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. And all you could smell was burning.". The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand.

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