Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. Forty-two minutes into the first half of the game, he looked to his left to see smoke and flames rising from the old wooden seats. 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 . Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden bench consumed the entire stand in under four minutes.Original TV footage: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x31qcmtIf you would like to support this channel - https://buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEyeAlthough focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. "I remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. 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. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. People ran onto the pitch with their clothes on fire while others were trapped at the back of the stand where they had gone to try to escape through the turnstiles. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. 'They did not have a chance. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. The game was irrelevant. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. "[33], Central to the test case were two letters sent to Bradford City's Club Secretary by the West Yorkshire Fire Brigade; the second letter dated 18 July 1984 specifically highlighted in full the improvements needed to be actioned at the ground as well as the fire risk at the main stand. "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. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. What Is Burning Man? We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. [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. [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. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. We went over to the policeman stood at the corner flag and asked if it was being sorted out, and he said it was under control," Harrison says. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. he asks. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". [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. We couldn't breathe. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. As he received the injured at Bradford Royal Infirmary he was able to call upon 10% of the UK's population of plastic surgeons. 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. All that was left of. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. [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. Some of the dead were found at the bottom of these steps. 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. I do not include the people currently running the club, who have always displayed a great, sensitive duty to the memory of those who died. ", 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 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 . Lincoln City's board responded by committing 1.1million (3.5million today) to their ground's renovation in the year that immediately followed the fire at Valley Parade, and over the following decade made improvements that eventually totalled 3million. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. 527 votes, 98 comments. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. "[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. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. 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 Popplewell Inquiry found that a discarded cigarette and an accumulation of litter beneath the stand were to blame. 'I have to tell you that the fire was so intense that identifying people is going to be the great problem we have to face.'. 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. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". 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. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. [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. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. People were falling on to each other and screaming. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. The match between Bradford City and Lincoln City, the final game of that season, had started in a celebratory atmosphere with the home team receiving the Third Division championship trophy. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. "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. Hillsborough looms the largest in our collective consciousness, but there were also the many deaths that occurred at Heysel Stadium in 1985, as well as the Bradford City stadium fire that same year. Surviving supporters, former Bradford players, the sole television commentator at the stadium and the judge who led the government inquiry tell the BBC about that fateful afternoon and its aftermath. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. "[23], On the 25th anniversary of the fire, the University of Bradford established the United Kingdom's largest academic research centre in skin sciences as an extension to its plastic surgery and burns research unit.[24]. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. 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 stories of escapes are legion. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. [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. 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. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernisation of many British football grounds within the following thirty years. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. 'The smoke was very, very dense. 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. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. [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. 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. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. 'It is the worst day in my life. Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. Stories From 11 May. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. 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. 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'. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. 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. I have never had to deal with such a situation before, and this has put the city on its heels.'. Soon they were all running for their lives. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. [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. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. There were no fire extinguishers. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery.
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