[11] Those who escaped were taken out of the ground to neighbouring homes and a pub, where a television screened World of Sport, which broadcast video recorded of the fire just an hour after it was filmed. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. 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 stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. Stories From 11 May. 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. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". 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. 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. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. On 11 May 1985 a fire erupted in the midst of a third-division tie between Bradford City and Lincoln City at Valley Parade, killing 54 home supporters and two Lincoln fans. The club's success had swollen the crowd to 10,000 and arguments will rage about fire precautions at the ground. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. "All you could see was black cloud. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". This day was for them. 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. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Lincoln City suffered two successive relegations, first to the Fourth Division in 1986, and again in 1987, becoming the first team to be automatically relegated from the Football League itself. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. "[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. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. 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. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. [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. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. The fire happened during a football match. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". 24 Bradford City A.F.C. There is a twin memorial sculpture, unveiled on 11 May 1986, which has the names of the dead inscribed on it. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. "[59], Raymond Falconer's reliability had previously been questioned by Daniel Taylor in The Guardian who stated that: "The Bradford Telegraph and Argus described him as a 'top detective'. "As well as those who lost their lives or were injured, there are the relatives and friends, the others who were at the game, and those who would normally have gone to the match but decided not to that day. [10] Of those who died, 11 were under-18 and 23 were aged 65 or over,[20] and the oldest victim was the club's former chairman, Sam Firth, aged 86. A discarded cigarette and a dilapidated wooden stand, which had survived because the club did not have the money to replace it, and accumulated paper litter, were considered to have conspired to cause the worst disaster in the history of the Football League. 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 . Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. 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. [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. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. ", 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. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. At the time of the disaster, many stadiums had perimeter fencing between the stands and the pitch to prevent incidents of football hooliganism particularly pitch invasions which were rife during the 1980s. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Revealed: former Bradford chairman linked to at least eight fires before Valley Parade disaster, Martin Fletcher: Maybe the reason I am here is to finally reveal the truth, TheStory of the Bradford Fire: could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?. It was unprecedented.". 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. 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. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. [38], The tragedy received immense media attention and drew support from around the world, with those offering their sympathy including Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. Videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. The Bradford Disaster Appeal fund, set up within 48hours of the disaster, eventually raised over 3.5million (11.3million today). We wanted to record the trophy presentation. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. [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. 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. 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. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. "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. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters [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. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. 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: The untold stories of the 1985 fire that devastated Valley Parade Thirty years after football's 'forgotten tragedy', the truth of what exactly happened when 56. All Rights Reserved. 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. Burning Man.NYC. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. 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. "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. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. 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 pile of rubbish that had been building up below. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". We had not been told anything.". 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. 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. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. 56 people dead. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. 'It is the worst day in my life. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 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. She was an. 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. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Read about our approach to external linking. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. ', 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.
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