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Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. "A lot of investigative work had been done by the police when I got there. 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. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. It was to be our day,' he said. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. The blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . Pendleton: "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. 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. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). Fifty-six people died. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. "I remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. People ran onto the pitch with their clothes on fire while others were trapped at the back of the stand where they had gone to try to escape through the turnstiles. 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. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. "I was in the main stand when the fire happened," he says. All you could hear was sirens and screams. 'It is the worst day in my life. 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.. You could hardly breathe. 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. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. "That's when I thought 'this is time to get out of here'. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. I saw a group of people around the smoke laughing. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. The team was presented with the Division Three championship trophy - their first trophy in 56 years - in front of 11,000 jubilant fans before the start of their match against Lincoln City. Some days I had two operations in a day. Most of the exits at the back were locked or shut and there were no stewards present to open them, but seven were forced open or found open. It's a nice little business and it's something positive that came out of a tragedy. 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. 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. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. "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. It was an awful thing to watch.". 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'. We didn't know how serious it was.". "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. According to ABC News, though, several hundred people in the Chinese city of Luoyang decided to cut loose on Christmas night 2000 by heading to a nightclub housed on the fourth floor of a multi-use industrial building.A fire broke out in the basement of the structure . The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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 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. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. Stories From 11 May. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. Martin Fletcher, a Bradford fan who lost three generations of his family in the fire, published a memoir of the tragic event called Fifty-Six The Story Of The Bradford Fire, in which he claimed the blaze at Valley Parade was one of nine fires at businesses owned by or associated with Heginbotham. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. 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. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. 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. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. 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. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. [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. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire The smoke was choking. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". 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. [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. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". Mike Harrison, the editor of the Bradford City Football Club fanzine The City Gent, was there on the day. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. They were at fault, but the fault was that no-one in authority seems ever to have properly appreciated the real gravity of this fire hazard and consequently no-one gave it the attention it certainly ought to have received. 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. His father Tony went back the following day and said: "I wondered how anybody had got out alive, but I also began to feel guilty that I had got out when so many hadn't." 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". The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. Thirty years on, the majority of survivors still find it too difficult to talk about what happened at the Valley Parade on 11 May 1985. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." "[27], After controversial comments made by Popplewell about the Hillsborough Disaster, Fletcher raised further concerns about the events following the fire saying that "I have many unanswered questions still about the fire in which four of my family died, as does my mother. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. The fact the inquiry also embraced the investigation into another incident which happened on the same day, a riot in which a young boy died at Birmingham City, makes it seem more frivolous. "I've always loved art but I owned businesses in construction so I've never had the time or a chance to follow it up," he says. 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. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. "[37], Fletcher subsequently published a book in 2015, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire which revealed a history of fires at businesses owned by the Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham. "[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. 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. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". We wanted to record the trophy presentation. And all you could smell was burning.". They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. [53], In 1986, a year after the disaster, Yorkshire Television aired a documentary presented by John Helm entitled Bradford City A Year of Healing. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. Wildman: "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. 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 other, situated by the main entrance, was donated by the club after its 7.5million (13million today) rebuilding of the original main stand in 2002. Spread by the wind, the wooden roof, which was covered with tarpaulin and sealed with asphalt and bitumen, caught fire. Eight fires in the 18 years before the Bradford City fire were identified, many catastrophic and leading to large insurance payouts. The book also raises concerns about the speed of the inquiry and the fact that it commenced a few weeks after the fire and lasted for only a few days, whereas other inquiries into similar incidents, pre and post the Bradford fire, have taken years to come to fruition and months to be heard. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters 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. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. 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. England won the re-match 64. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. 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? Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. 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. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. Footage of the accident at this point shows levels of confusion among the spectatorswhile many were trying to escape or to cross the pitch to the relative safety of the neighbouring stands, other spectators were observed cheering or waving to the still-rolling pitchside cameras.