", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. 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 club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. "[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. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. It was unprecedented.". ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. 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. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. "I remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. The game was irrelevant.". Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. It has a black marble fascia on which the names and ages of those that died are inscribed in gold, and a black marble platform on which people can leave flowers and mementos. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. "[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. "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. 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. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. (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. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. We had not been told anything.". 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. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. 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. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. 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. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. [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. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. [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. 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 was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. 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! He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. [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. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". "It wasn't covering anything up, it wasn't avoiding the truth of what happened, everyone knows what happened, everyone knows it shouldn't have happened. Website by, Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985, Fundraising for firefighters and their families. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. [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. 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. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. He went on to state: "In 1985 fire investigation in Britain was in its infancy and some would say at that time most fire investigators were not much more than dust-kickers. All that was left of. 'The smoke was very, very dense. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. 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. Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . 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. 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. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. 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. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. "We couldn't run back down the tunnel. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. he asks. Soon they were all running for their lives. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. ', 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. 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.
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