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. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. ", Hendrie: "The players were told to go to the pub at the top of the road, we didn't know at this point if anyone had been killed. [39], The club's chairman, Stafford Heginbotham, said: "It was to be our day". Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. [57] Following the 30th anniversary of the fire, a number of news organisations named this man as Eric Bennett who was visiting his nephew in Bradford from Australia and attended the game on the day. People had walked through turnstiles and along a wooden corridor before descending the steps into their seats. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. 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. "It wasn't covering anything up, it wasn't avoiding the truth of what happened, everyone knows what happened, everyone knows it shouldn't have happened. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. You could hardly breathe. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. 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 we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. "Until I arrived home my mum and my brother had no idea whether I was alive or dead. A police officer shouted to a colleague for an extinguisher, but his call was misheard and instead the fire brigade were radioed. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. [45] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. 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: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. "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. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. However, the responsibility of the Club is, in my view, very much the greater and I apportion responsibility between the two defendants as to two-thirds on the first defendant and one-third on the third (sic) defendant. > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. The game was irrelevant. "It's therapeutic and I've met so many people through doing this." [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. 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. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . So I decided to give it that next push. 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'. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. Website by, Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985, Fundraising for firefighters and their families. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". [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. 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. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. The Bradford Burns Unit was set up by Professor David Sharpe after he received many of the victims following the fire. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. "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. 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. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. 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 scene in there was one of silence and shock. "[11] Police Superintendent Barry Osborne, divisional commander for the area, said many of his officers cried when they saw how badly people had been burned. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. Surviving supporters, former Bradford players, the sole television commentator at the stadium and the judge who led the government inquiry tell the BBC about that fateful afternoon and its aftermath. One family was in tears, the mother shaking. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. 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?. "I looked up and saw the flames. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. [49], Parrs Wood Press published Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire (2005) by author Paul Firth;[50] the title refers to the estimated time it took for the stand to be completely ablaze from the first flames being spotted. Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. I had no idea. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. 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. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. "[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. [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. [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. "All you could see was black cloud. Heginbotham died in 1995, aged 61, and was never prosecuted for the stadium fire, despite the coroner later saying he had given serious consideration to bringing a charge of manslaughter as the club had failed to act on three separate warnings about a potential fire risk. 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. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. [15] They included three who tried to escape through the toilets, 27 who were found by exit K and turnstiles 6 to 9 at the rear centre of the stand, and two elderly people who had died in their seats. 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. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. This day was for them. It was clear from what the Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire, Mr Graham Karran, said yesterday that the ground was far from safe. 'I have to tell you that the fire was so intense that identifying people is going to be the great problem we have to face.'. We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. 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". "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. "[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. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. Now they will begin another inquiry, into the cause of the Bradford fire. 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. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. But looking back and seeing how much it really affected my dad makes me realise what we went through." 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. 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. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. However, the turnstiles were locked and none of the stadium staff were present to unlock them, leaving no escape through the normal entrances and exits. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". "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. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. 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. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. 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. He later died in hospital. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. 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 The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. [11] Those who escaped were taken out of the ground to neighbouring homes and a pub, where a television screened World of Sport, which broadcast video recorded of the fire just an hour after it was filmed. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire About 3,000 people were in Valley Parade's main stand, escaping by climbing over walls on to the pitch or through the usual exit gates. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. 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. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. Uncensored coverage of the fire was transmitted minutes after the event on World of Sport and the BBC's Grandstand after the video cassette was physically driven to Yorkshire Television. Forty-two minutes into the first half of the game, he looked to his left to see smoke and flames rising from the old wooden seats. All you could hear was sirens and screams. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. "[33], Central to the test case were two letters sent to Bradford City's Club Secretary by the West Yorkshire Fire Brigade; the second letter dated 18 July 1984 specifically highlighted in full the improvements needed to be actioned at the ground as well as the fire risk at the main stand. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people.
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