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Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". I don't see that. "As a 15-year-old, you don't really know how much of an impact an event like that will have on your life," Town says. 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. [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. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. 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. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST Crowds on the pitch at the Valley Parade stadium after a stand caught fire Getty Images Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible. I have never had to deal with such a situation before, and this has put the city on its heels.'. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. "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. "It made me realise life is too short." [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. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". 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. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 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. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. 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. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. 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. [45] In total, 28 police officers and 22 supporters, who were publicly documented as having saved at least one life, later received police commendations or bravery awards. 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 . "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. 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]. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. 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'. The game was irrelevant. All Rights Reserved. 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". 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. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. [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. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. 'The smoke was very, very dense. 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'. [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. People were wandering around outside the ground in disbelief, reminiscent of an air disaster, at what had happened the day before. 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. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. [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. 05/10/15 AT 12:00 PM BST Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire Getty Images Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands. The smoke was choking. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. 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. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. 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. 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. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. 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. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire, Bradford City fans pay tribute to the 56 fans who died the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985, The blaze causing the deaths of 56 supporters in one of the worst incidents in British football, Bradford artist Paul Town was inspired to paint after surviving the Valley Parade fire, Stay up to date with our daily newsletter, New book claims fatal 1985 Bradford City Valley Parade fire might have been started deliberately, Bradford City chairman 'linked to eight fires' before Valley Parade stadium disaster, Bradford City 0-0 Reading: Bantams hold Royals in quarter-final stalemate, David Alaba receives massive abuse for voting for Lionel Messi in The Best awards, Glazers' demands set to delay Manchester United takeover: reports, Man Utd beat West Ham to reach FA Cup quarters as Spurs crash out, Bahrain GP: F1 team rankings ahead of 2023 season-opener, Real Madrid vs Barcelona: Xavi admits Los Blancos still favourites to advance. "We stayed in the pub for hours. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. 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. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. 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. All you could hear was sirens and screams. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. 'It is the worst day in my life. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. 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. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. 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. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. 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. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. Fletcher said that "The club at the time took no actual responsibility for its actions and nobody has ever really been held accountable for the level of negligence which took place. ', 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. Soon they were all running for their lives. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". 'They did not have a chance. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. 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. "[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. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. [2] The main stand was described as a "mammoth structure", but was unusual for its time because of its place on the side of a hill. 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. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. Videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices 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. It was fairly clear that somebody had dropped a lighted match or cigarette between the floorboards.". The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. And all you could smell was burning.". I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. (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. England won the re-match 64. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. Within five minutes the whole stand was engulfed in flames. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. However, the turnstiles were locked and none of the stadium staff were present to unlock them, leaving no escape through the normal entrances and exits. It detailed the safety work which would be carried out at Valley Parade as a result of the club's promotion, admitting the ground was "inadequate in so many ways for modern requirements".