burning man bradford city stadium fire

More than 250 others were injured in one of the. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). I looked down and I saw my hands melting. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats. A police officer shouted to a colleague for an extinguisher, but his call was misheard and instead the fire brigade were radioed. More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. 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. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. 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. 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. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. The fire happened during a football match. 'The smoke was very, very dense. And all you could smell was burning.". He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. 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. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . 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. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken Daniel Taylor The policewoman assigned to the grieving Fletchers gets goosebumps when she looks back to 30 years ago. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. 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. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. 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. "[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. [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. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. 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. Loading. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. Popplewell's report was nowhere close to the quality of Lord Justice Taylor's report after Hillsborough, and since reading it as an adult I have always been very disappointed in it and considered it a poor piece of work. It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. 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." 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 . 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. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. 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 saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. Somebody looked round and grabbed me by the hood of my coat to pull me over. 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. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. 'It is the worst day in my life. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. 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. They were not able to use water on the stand immediately because this would have hampered attempts to rescue people being dragged by the police and friends from the stand. 'They did not have a chance. [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. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. [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. [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. 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. The fire was described as the worst fire disaster in the history of British football, and the worst football related disaster since 66spectators died at Ibrox in 1971. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. 56 people dead. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. 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. [51] Another book; 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015) was written by Martin Fletcher to discuss how the disaster was caused, and follows his loss of his father, brother, uncle and grandfather. ", 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. Some of the dead were found at the bottom of these steps. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. "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. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. [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. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". 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. [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. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. Fifty-six people died. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. Those with longer memories will also think of the Ibrox disaster of . Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". [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. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. 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. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. 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. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Bradford City players line up to observe a minutes silence for the 25th anniversary of the 1985 Bradford stadium fire prior to the Coca Cola League. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. The team was presented with the Division Three championship trophy - their first trophy in 56 years - in front of 11,000 jubilant fans before the start of their match against Lincoln City. Some days I had two operations in a day. 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'. I've never seen anything like it. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. "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. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. All that was left of the main stand were rows of bare steel and stone, with blackened timbers hanging from the few remaining roof supports. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. We had not been told anything.". Criticising Bradford City during the case, Mr. Michael Ogden QC, highlighted that the Club 'gave no or very little thought to fire precautions', despite repeated warnings. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. 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. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. [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. Samuel Firth, a founder of the supporters' club, was the oldest victim at 86; four 11-year-old boys were the youngest. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. "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. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. 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. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. "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. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. 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. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. 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. Stories From 11 May. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. People were falling on to each other and screaming. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. There has been reports of people lighting paper under the seats, and it was important that as many fans as possible who were in the stand or at the Kop end contacted the police. "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. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. 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 game was irrelevant.". "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. He lit a cigarette and when it was coming to an end he put it down on to the floorboard and tried to put his foot on it to put it out. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. Martin Fletcher, whose brother, father, grandfather and uncle all died in the fire: "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. "[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. 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'. 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". The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. 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. 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.

John Robert Powers Alumni, 20 Examples Of Human Resources, Mr Money Mustache Divorce Reason, Articles B