[4] Football ground writer Simon Inglis had described the view from the stand as "like watching football from the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel" because of its antiquated supports and struts. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. On 23 February 1987, Sir Joseph Cantley found the club two thirds responsible and the county council (which by this time had been abolished) one third responsible. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. "[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. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. 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. Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. "All you could see was black cloud. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. The intensity of the blaze which spread 'quicker than people could walk' destroyed the main stand area, leaving a skeleton of burned seats, lamps and fences. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. The Bradford Disaster Appeal fund, set up within 48hours of the disaster, eventually raised over 3.5million (11.3million today). It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. [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. 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 .
Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. 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. "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. 'It is the worst day in my life. According to ABC News, though, several hundred people in the Chinese city of Luoyang decided to cut loose on Christmas night 2000 by heading to a nightclub housed on the fourth floor of a multi-use industrial building.A fire broke out in the basement of the structure . Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. The game was irrelevant.
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? Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. 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'. Pendleton: "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.
Bradford fire: The Valley Parade disaster 30 years on "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. All Rights Reserved. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. Within a few hours of the blaze starting, it was established that 56 people had been killed, many as a result of smoke inhalation, although some of them had survived until reaching hospital.[11]. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. The fire happened during a football match. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. "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. "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 fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". 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.. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. 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.
Fire kills 50 at soccer stadium - HISTORY 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. 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. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. [2] The main stand was described as a "mammoth structure", but was unusual for its time because of its place on the side of a hill. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. "[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.
Bradford fire 11.5.1985.mpg - video Dailymotion Fire disaster at football match (Bradford City stadium fire) [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. 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. People were falling on to each other and screaming.
Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. "I was in the stand opposite when the fire broke out. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. Loading. 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. 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). One man clambered over burning seats to help a fan,[18] as did player John Hawley,[15] and one officer led fans to an exit, only to find it shut and had to turn around.
The Great Fire of London, 1212 | Sky HISTORY TV Channel He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. "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. We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. [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. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. What Is Burning Man? You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. 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. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. We didn't know how serious it was.". They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. "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.". 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. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. Fletcher said that "The club at the time took no actual responsibility for its actions and nobody has ever really been held accountable for the level of negligence which took place. Read about our approach to external linking. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. 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. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". Helm later described the start of the fire in an interview to the Express newspaper: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, [A] man over from Australia visiting his son got two tickets to the game. More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. [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. Videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. They were hampered further by the fact that doors at the back of the stand were locked to try to stop people coming in without paying. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. At 3.40pm, five minutes before half-time, a glowing light was spotted three rows from the back of block G. "We were stood in line with the 18-yard, the penalty area, when we saw some smoke and a bit of fire diagonally from where we were. [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. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. Each year Lincoln send representatives to the annual memorial service in Bradford city centre and between 2007 and 2009, were managed by Bradford's captain that day, Peter Jackson. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history.
Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. 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. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. They were at fault, but the fault was that no-one in authority seems ever to have properly appreciated the real gravity of this fire hazard and consequently no-one gave it the attention it certainly ought to have received. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. That's when everybody else had the same thought. One, now re-situated to that end of the stand where the fire began, is a sculpture donated on the initial re-opening of Valley Parade in December 1986 by Sylvia Graucob, a then Jersey-based former West Yorkshire woman. All that was left of. The Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas.
Bradford City stadium fire. A football match in Bradford UK ends Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT The fire claimed young and old alike, with most fatalities occurring at the rear of the stand where people sought escape only to find turnstiles locked. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. 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. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). More than 250 others were injured in one of the. 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. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. We had not been told anything.". "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. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. [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. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. [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. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. She was an. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. 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." ", 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. 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. 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. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. 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". Some repair work was carried out, but in July 1984 the club was warned again, this time by a county council engineer, because of the club's plans to claim for ground improvements from the Football Trust.
The 1985 Bradford City Football Stadium Fire What Happened and Why The smoke was choking. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. 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.
"Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. 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.
Bradford City fire: Police reveal who was responsible for 1985 Valley BBC ON THIS DAY | 11 | 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire Since then, it has been further re-developed and, today, Valley Parade is a modern 25,136 all-seater stadium, which is virtually unrecognisable from how it was at the time of the disaster, save for the original clubhouse that still stands beside the main stand, and the flank support wall that runs down the Hollywell Ash Lane at the "Bradford End". He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. 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. Thirty years on, the majority of survivors still find it too difficult to talk about what happened at the Valley Parade on 11 May 1985. "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'.
Burning Man - Wikipedia It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. 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]. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. 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. 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. Police had an official photographer at the game, watching for crowd disturbance. You could hardly breathe. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. 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. I had no idea. Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. This day was for them.
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! The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. 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.