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 Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 "That was the legacy of the tragedy. Warnings had been issued over the ground's antiquated wooden structure, which had been condemned and was due to be pulled down and replaced with steel and concrete. 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. "[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'. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. he asks. 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. The fire happened during a football match. "The letters that went to the club, the council's failings, the police's failings, even as supporters we allowed a culture where the gates were locked. 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. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. The Bradford Disaster Appeal fund, set up within 48hours of the disaster, eventually raised over 3.5million (11.3million today). 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. 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. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. 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. The Great Fire of London, 1212 | Sky HISTORY TV Channel Fifty-six people died. 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. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". I had no idea. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. 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. 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. 527 votes, 98 comments. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. After the fire, Bradford City also announced they would thereafter play with a black trim on their shirt sleeves as a permanent memorial to those who had died. 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. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. Martin Fletcher was talking to BBC Look North. 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. Nigel Adams who worked for 12 years as a fire investigator with a British fire service was spurred on by the book to join the call for a fresh inquiry, stating that Fletcher's book was "one of the best accounts of a fire, as seen from a victim's point of view, and as a piece of investigative writing, I have ever read". All Rights Reserved. Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. [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. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. "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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. However, there is a lot in this book that troubles me about the science, or lack of it, used in the testing of the investigators' hypothesis as to the source of the ignition. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. 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. We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. On 11 May 1985 a blaze ripped through Bradford City stadium's wooden structure in minutes as the club played Lincoln City in an end of season match. 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. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" 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. "I was supposed to meet my father at my grandfather's house, but I was a bit late so I went straight to the game so I didn't miss the festivities.". However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. Last edited: May 11, 2021 May 11, 2019 #2 JohnnyKills Full Member Joined Jan 8, 2016 Messages 6,902 Yeah footage is horrendous isn't it. [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. 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. 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?. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. 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. The plastic surgeon who treated the injuries of over 200, Professor David Sharpe, went on to set up a world-renowned burns research facility at the University of Bradford. 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! [36], In 2010, Susan Fletcher's son and survivor of the Bradford City fire (and witness to the Hillsborough disaster), Martin Fletcher, openly criticised the club's hierarchy at the time of the fire and the subsequent investigation. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. "Me and my dad eventually got out safely but it was a bit of a struggle at one point because the walls getting down to the pitch level were quite high I didn't get a growth spurt until I was 16 or 17.". The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. Treatment of casualties and Burns Research Unit, Dramatisations, documentaries and published works, West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council, Learn how and when to remove this template message, List of accidents and disasters by death toll, List of United Kingdom disasters by death toll, "Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day", "Caught in Time: Bradford City win the Third Division, 1985", "EXCLUSIVE: Bradford's Valley Parade fire must be remembered like Hillsborough", "History of The Bradford Sling The Bradford Sling", "Bradford City football stadium blaze surgeon honoured", "Research centre to be living memorial to Bradford City FC fire disaster", "The Papers of the Popplewell Inquiry into Crowd Safety at Sports Grounds", "Popplewell Inquiry Bradford City Fire", "Bradford remembered: The unheeded warnings that led to tragedy", Joseph Canley summing up statement from test case court transcripts, Newspaper report from Sport and the Law April 21st 1989, "The Glasgow Herald Google News Archive Search", Los Angeles Times report on Bradford City test case findings, Court transcript from the test case brought by Susan Fletcher and Others against Bradford City and Others, "Bradford fire survivor attacks judge over Hillsborough comments", "The Story of the Bradford Fire: 'could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?