BBC News - Bradford fire 'will live with me forever' We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. 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. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. Loading. Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". 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'. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". Bradford City stadium fire disaster remembered - BBC Sport [34], During the case, Sir Joseph Cantley stated that: "It is only right that I should say that I think it would be unfair to conclude that Heginbotham, Tordoff, the Board of Directors, or any of them, were intentionally and callously indifferent to the safety of spectators using the stand. "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.". Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. 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. ", ITV football commentator John Helm, who provided live commentary of the unfolding disaster across the nation: "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. Bradford City fire was started by a tourist who dropped a cigarette The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. 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. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - HISTORY "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Christopher Hammond, who was 12 on the day, said on the 20th anniversary of the fire: "As a 12-year-old, it was easy to move on I didn't realise how serious it was until I looked at the press coverage over the next few days. Police worked until 4am the next morning, under lighting, to remove all the bodies. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. Police had an official photographer at the game, watching for crowd disturbance. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. Helm later described the start of the fire in an interview to the Express newspaper: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, [A] man over from Australia visiting his son got two tickets to the game. ', 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. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. The 4-alarm fire started in a one-story lumber storage building and spread to an adjacent building . [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. 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. I had no idea. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. **The Bradford City Stadium Tragedy** - Firehouse It took the firemen four minutes to arrive at the ground but the speed of the fire was such that the blaze also took only four minutes to grip the entire stand. [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. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". 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. We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. Grenfell among the UK's worst fire and tower tragedies Although there was no perimeter fencing, such as led to the devastating crush at Hillsborough, locked turnstiles meant that many fans who tried to escape by that means were killed or seriously injured. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT From 50 to 60 yards away, it was burning our faces it was unbearable. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. "[35], The total amount of compensation to the 154 claimants was reported to be as high as 20million, with the payouts covered by insurance taken out by the club. ", Popplewell: "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. As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. There were no fire extinguishers. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. 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. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. 'They did not have a chance. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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 . Bradford City Stadium Fire - 36 years ago today | RedCafe.net

City Of Chandler Water System Master Plan, Articles B