The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. 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". There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. 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. The name of the event comes from its culminating ceremony: the symbolic burning of a large wooden effigy, referred to as the Man, that occurs on the penultimate night of Burning Man, which is the Saturday evening before Labor Day. Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. 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. You could hardly breathe. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. 'It is the worst day in my life. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. We had not been told anything.". Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." 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. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. 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 is a simple account laid out for all to see. [3] It included a main stand which seated 5,300fans, and had room for a further 7,000 standing spectators in the paddock in front. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. Some repair work was carried out, but in July 1984 the club was warned again, this time by a county council engineer, because of the club's plans to claim for ground improvements from the Football Trust. Bradford fan David Pendleton, then aged 21 and stood in the main stand: "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. "[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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. "A lot of investigative work had been done by the police when I got there. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. 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. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. 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. 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. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". We didn't know how serious it was.". It has a black marble fascia on which the names and ages of those that died are inscribed in gold, and a black marble platform on which people can leave flowers and mementos. 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. 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". His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. 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. The fire happened during a football match. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. We had not been told anything.". Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. 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. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. "It is hard to imagine how Martin and his mother have managed to cope over the last 30 years and we have always respected him," Harrison says. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. Fire on Upper Castle Street, Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post On This Day 1985: The Bradford City Fire 0:15 Bradford Mill fire 24:43 The Bradford Fire 0:26 Large fire in Bradford Yorkshire Evening Post Bradford Mill fire 0:34 Bradford Great Horton Mill fire 0:10 Fire at Bradford school (video: Glynn Beck) 4:05 bradford city fc fire 1985 When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". Called 'The 56' the play dramatises actual accounts of the Bradford City Fire with the purpose of the play showing how in times of adversity, the Football Club and the local community came together. 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! he asks. The timber construction of St. Andrew's Stand, Main Stand and the roof of its popular Railway End terrace were immediately condemned as fire hazards, which saw seating capacity briefly cut to nil. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. 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. "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. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. 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. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. Somebody looked round and grabbed me by the hood of my coat to pull me over. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. 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. But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. Fifty-six people died. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. [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. 56 people dead. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. Soon they were all running for their lives. "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. This day was for them. 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. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. ", 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. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. "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. The 4-alarm fire started in a one-story lumber storage building and spread to an adjacent building . 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. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. Loading. 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium fire. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. I don't see that. It seemed to put it out. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. 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'. [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. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. "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. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. "We stayed in the pub for hours. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. 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 pile of rubbish that had been building up below. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. A bid of 350 has been made for the original painting and Town will sell 56 prints in memorial of those who lost their lives, with the aim of raising 3,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. 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. [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. There were no fire extinguishers. "[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. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. 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. 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. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. [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. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. The match, Bradford against Lincoln, was to have been a joyous climax to the club winning the Third Division championship and being promoted to the Second Division. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . A discarded cigarette and a dilapidated wooden stand, which had survived because the club did not have the money to replace it, and accumulated paper litter, were considered to have conspired to cause the worst disaster in the history of the Football League. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. 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. I've never seen anything like it. Ironically, off-duty firemen were at the ground selling raffle tickets for a charity football match which should have been held yesterday. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. Fifty-six people died. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. Samuel Firth, a founder of the supporters' club, was the oldest victim at 86; four 11-year-old boys were the youngest. 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. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. 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. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. 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. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). The Documentary highlighted the 'poison pen letters' and graffiti targeted at the then club chairman Stafford Heginbotham over accusations that he was in some way personally responsible for the deaths of the 56 people who died at the fire.[54]. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". People were wandering around outside the ground in disbelief, reminiscent of an air disaster, at what had happened the day before. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. Website by, Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985, Fundraising for firefighters and their families. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. 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. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. 527 votes, 98 comments. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. 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. All Rights Reserved. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. Those who escaped walked to a nearby pub to use the phone to ring home, while others arrived in a daze outside the police headquarters to try and trace relatives. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago.
Ripple Wine 1970s,
Morgantown High School Basketball,
Shannon Sharpe Son Married,
Articles B