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. [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. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. 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. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. 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. "[55], Adams also went on to state that "I have read in some newspapers that he is being berated for his campaign to have a new inquiry. [8][9] In the crowd were local dignitaries and guests from three of Bradford's twin townsVerviers in Belgium, and Mnchengladbach and Hamm in West Germany. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. 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. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. It took the firemen four minutes to arrive at the ground but the speed of the fire was such that the blaze also took only four minutes to grip the entire stand. 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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. The worst fire disaster in English football history played out on live television on May 11, after Valley Parade's main stand caught fire during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on . Samuel Firth, a founder of the supporters' club, was the oldest victim at 86; four 11-year-old boys were the youngest. There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. "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. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. 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. 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. We had not been told anything.". He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. 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. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. [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. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. This day was for them. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. 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. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. "[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. "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. 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]. 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. 'It is the worst day in my life. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. 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. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. ', Bradford City Fire Website messages of condolence from around the world, "Chuckle Brothers' single for Bradford City fire anniversary", "Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire", "Emotive play of Bradford City fire disaster raises cash for burns unit", "Book Review: Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire by Paul Firth football book reviews", "Football Focus 1st May 2010 Bradford City Part 1", Bradford City A year of healing Documentary, "Bradford fire: expert demands new investigation into blaze", "Bradford City stadium fire 1985 IPCC investigation decision", "BRADFORD CITY FIRE: Accidental cause of tragedy 'not in any doubt', says detective", "Bradford City fire 'started by cigarette', "Bradford City fire: Briton attacks 'inaccurate' BBC documentary claiming his uncle started blaze", "Bradford fire: Sir Oliver Popplewell defends 1985 inquiry interview in full", Living with Jacko From Touchline to Lifeline, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire, The full Interim Report by Lord Popplewell into the Bradford City Fire, British Medical Journal article on the treatment of burns casualties after the Bradford City Fire, Peter Jackson's account of the Bradford City Fire, Nationally broadcast Yorkshire Television programme covering the fire, broadcast the following day, ITN bulletin covering the fire, also from the following day, ITN bulletin covering the aftermath, from three days later, Chelsea F.C. 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? 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.. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. A bid of 350 has been made for the original painting and Town will sell 56 prints in memorial of those who lost their lives, with the aim of raising 3,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . 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. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. "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.". 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. "[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. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. "[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 remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. 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." 24 Bradford City A.F.C. The Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. 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. 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. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. 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. 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. 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. The Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the fire risk that the rubbish accumulating under the stand had posed. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. [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. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. 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 . Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Watch Missed Warnings on BBC One in Yorkshire and Lincolnshire at 22:45 BST on Tuesday, 12 May. "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. [3] It included a main stand which seated 5,300fans, and had room for a further 7,000 standing spectators in the paddock in front. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. [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. I saw a group of people around the smoke laughing. People had walked through turnstiles and along a wooden corridor before descending the steps into their seats. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. A capacity 6,000 crowd attended a multi-denominational memorial service, held on the pitch in the sunny shadow of the burnt out stand at Valley Parade in July 1985. As he received the injured at Bradford Royal Infirmary he was able to call upon 10% of the UK's population of plastic surgeons. People were falling on to each other and screaming. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. 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. 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. [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. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. 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. I had no idea. 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. [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. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. 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. She was an. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. 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. 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'. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". 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. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. 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. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernisation of many British football grounds within the following thirty years. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. "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.". Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the football club area, who was injured in the fire said that many policemen cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. The two sides met for the first time after the fire in April 1989, when they arranged a benefit match in aid of the Hillsborough disaster, at Valley Parade. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. The book also raises concerns about the speed of the inquiry and the fact that it commenced a few weeks after the fire and lasted for only a few days, whereas other inquiries into similar incidents, pre and post the Bradford fire, have taken years to come to fruition and months to be heard. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. There is a twin memorial sculpture, unveiled on 11 May 1986, which has the names of the dead inscribed on it. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. 'The smoke was very, very dense. 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 still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . 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. What Is Burning Man? An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. "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. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. It was to be our day,' he said. [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. [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. "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.

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