By this date the appeal fund set up for survivors had paid out more than 4m with further payouts expected as the effects of physical and mental injury were determined. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. One, now re-situated to that end of the stand where the fire began, is a sculpture donated on the initial re-opening of Valley Parade in December 1986 by Sylvia Graucob, a then Jersey-based former West Yorkshire woman. 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. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. Burning Man.NYC. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. 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. After its renovation in 1990 they named the home end of their ground the 'Stacey-West Stand', in honour of Bill Stacey and Jim West, the two Lincoln City supporters who were amongst the 56 to die at Bradford. 56 people dead. "[16] As spectators began to cascade over the wall separating the stand from the pitch, the linesman on that side of the pitch informed referee Norman Glover, who stopped the game with three minutes remaining before half-time. 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. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. I had no idea. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. 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. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. The chairman of the football club, Mr Stafford Heginbotham, was near to tears as he explained what had happened. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. Fifty-six people died. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. 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. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. [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. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. Other parents whose children had not arrived home on Saturday called at the police station or sat in cars outside, waiting for news. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. 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. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. Wildman: "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. He was actually one of the detectives involved in one of the gravest miscarriages of justices in the country, the murder of Carol Wilkinson in Bradford, where someone was locked up for 20 years for a murder he didn't commit."[60]. 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. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. Burning timber and molten material began to fall onto the seating below and black smoke enveloped the passageway behind, where fans were trying to escape. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. There were no fire extinguishers. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. Fire disaster at football match (Bradford City stadium fire) - YouTube Sign in to confirm your age 0:00 / 5:23 Sign in to confirm your age This video may be inappropriate for some users.. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. [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. 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. Bradford fan Matthew Wildman, who was aged 17 and using crutches because of rheumatoid arthritis: "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. It occurred during a league match in front of record numbers of spectators, on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 and injuring at least 265. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. 'I think that is unlikely,' he said. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. When Town reached the Midland Road side of the pitch, he was faced with horrific scenes of the injured being treated and comforted by ambulance crews, fans and players. "I remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund raised 3.5m for the victims and their families. 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'. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. "Since then I have thought of everything we could have done, but we didn't have the presence of mind to run across the pitch and tell people to get out. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. Soon they were all running for their lives. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. [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. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. We had not been told anything.". "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 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. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. "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. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. "A disaster is not black and white - it is a mass of factors.". At the time of the disaster, many stadiums had perimeter fencing between the stands and the pitch to prevent incidents of football hooliganism particularly pitch invasions which were rife during the 1980s. As many supporters still required rescue from the stand, they were unable to immediately start fighting the source of the fire. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. "[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. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in 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. [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. There were no extinguishers in the stand's passageway for fear of vandalism, and one spectator ran to the clubhouse to find one but was overcome by smoke and impeded by others trying to escape. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. [10] The stand seats did not have risers; this had allowed a large accumulation of rubbish and paper waste in the cavity space under the stand, which had not been cleared for many months. "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. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. 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". 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'. Bradford City Stadium Fire 56 Dead & 100's Injured The Bradford City stadium fire was a stadium disaster that occurred during an English League Third Division fixture between Bradford City and Lincoln City on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 and injuring at least 265. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. 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. She was an. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. [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. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. 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. Police had an official photographer at the game, watching for crowd disturbance. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands.
Terrell Owens Cell Phone Celebration,
Jayco Water System Diagram,
Forsaken World Best Mage Build,
Jimmy Carter Address To The Nation On Energy,
Articles B
