The Man burns on September 02, 2023. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. The sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". We had to run up the stairs, through the office doors and out on to the street. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. [48] Profits from the play's run at The Edinburgh Fringe were donated to the Bradford Burns Unit. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . [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. 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. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. 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. "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. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. Twenty nine years ago on this date, 56 people tragically died when a fire erupted at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground The day was supposed to be one of celebration for Bradford who had just won the Third Division trophy. [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. 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. [58] Following this report, Leslie Brownlie, who was the nephew in question, is reported to have said that his uncle never made such an admission of starting the fire. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. No fire extinguishers had been installed over fears of vandalism and less than four minutes after the fire was reported, the fire had engulfed the whole stand. 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. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. It is impossible so far to be accurate about the precise cause of the fire, with grossly conflicting reports from witnesses. He appealed to people to be patient while forensic experts identified bodies. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. All that was left of. "[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. 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. 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. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. Mr Tony Delahunte, who was presenting a programme from the ground for Pennine Radio, said 'The fire seemed to me to start with a smoke bomb. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. Guided by the values expressed by the 10 Principles, Burning Man is a global ecosystem of artists, makers, and community organizers who co-create art, events, and local initiatives around the world. ", 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. There were no fire extinguishers. 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'. It was an awful thing to watch.". The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. 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. Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. Fletcher has been the only survivor to publicly challenge the inquiry's findings. 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. ", 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. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. 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. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. Smoke was seen coming from the third row in the section but people are apparently used to seeing smoke flares on the Bradford ground. All you could hear was sirens and screams. Fletcher, who was 12 at the time of the fire, does not make any direct allegations but he does believe Heginbotham's history with fires resulting in payouts of around 27m in today's terms warrants further investigation. There were many cases of heroism, with more than 50 people later receiving police awards or commendations for bravery. "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.". Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. [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. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. (2015), 2003 Football League Third Division play-off final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradford_City_stadium_fire&oldid=1141323458, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Articles needing additional references from May 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fan attempted to extinguish a lit cigarette, it slipped through floorboards and fell on rubbish, igniting it. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. [10] Of those who died, 11 were under-18 and 23 were aged 65 or over,[20] and the oldest victim was the club's former chairman, Sam Firth, aged 86. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . Pendleton: "I got pushed down to the front and I remember looking around and suddenly this smouldering, small fire had taken over virtually half a block and was starting to hit the roof. The fire at a Brooklyn lumber storage building sent plumes of smoke over Williamsburg on Tuesday. 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. 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. A few minutes later, he felt a thump on his back from his father, who told him to run. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. "[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. [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. We use necessary cookies to make our site work. It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. The Chief Constable of West Yorkshire, Mr Colin Sampson, said yesterday that a team of doctors and pathologists had worked throughout the night trying to identify the dead. 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. 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. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. he asks. I don't see that. England won the re-match 64. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. 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. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. On 11 May 1985 a blaze ripped through Bradford City stadium's wooden structure in minutes as the club played Lincoln City in an end of season match. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. Loading. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. Within five minutes the whole stand was engulfed in flames. I asked the director to get the camera to go a little closer. 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]. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden bench consumed the entire stand in under four minutes.Original TV footage: https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x31qcmtIf you would like to support this channel - https://buymeacoffee.com/TheRavensEyeAlthough focused primarily on disasters, this channel is all about the interesting, the strange, the unsolved, the tragic. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . Then flames licked the underside of the seats, which were a combination of wood and plastic. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. 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. A new book, written by Valley Parade survivor Martin Fletcher, claims then-Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham had previously netted millions of pounds from insurance payouts after at least eight previous fires at businesses he was associated with. "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. 'The smoke was very, very dense. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Fletcher has taken facts and presented them in such a way that it should make it moralistically impossible for this incident not to be looked at again. 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. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". 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. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. 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. And all you could smell was burning.". The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. The Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the fire risk that the rubbish accumulating under the stand had posed. 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 fundraising events included a reunion of the 1966 World Cup Final Starting XI that began with the original starting teams of both England and West Germany, and was held at Leeds United's stadium, Elland Road, in July 1985 to raise funds for the Appeal fund. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. 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". 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. That's when everybody else had the same thought. It was clear from what the Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire, Mr Graham Karran, said yesterday that the ground was far from safe. But many, including Harrison, believe it could unnecessarily reopen wounds if it does happen. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. Former Bradford midfielder John Hendrie, who was playing in the match: "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. "I was supposed to meet my father at my grandfather's house, but I was a bit late so I went straight to the game so I didn't miss the festivities.". "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. Most Bradfordians have accepted the fire was a terrible misfortune. [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. [2] The main stand was described as a "mammoth structure", but was unusual for its time because of its place on the side of a hill. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. 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. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". [17], One witness saw paper or debris on fire, about nine inches (230mm) below the floor boards. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. "I remember not being able to watch it, but we couldn't get out. 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. Led by former England international Trevor Cherry, the Bantams won only their third divisional title and earned a return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1937. "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. On Saturday 11 May 2002, the 17th anniversary of the disaster, a memorial with the names of those who lost their lives was dedicated at the new entrance to the redeveloped Sunwin stand. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. 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. [56], On 17 April 2015, retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer, in a report by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, said the police were aware of an Australian man who admitted to starting the fire. Fifty-six people died. Fifty-six people died. "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. "[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. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. 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. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. "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. [15], At 3:44pm, five minutes before half-time, the first sign of a firea glowing lightwas noticed three rows from the back of block G,[10][16] as reported by television commentator John Helm. 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. [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. Wildman: "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . 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 . My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. "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. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Burning timbers and molten materials fell from the roof onto the crowd and seating below, and dense black smoke enveloped a passageway behind the stand, where many spectators were trying to escape. 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. Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. "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. 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 Read about our approach to external linking. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. [51] Another book; 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015) was written by Martin Fletcher to discuss how the disaster was caused, and follows his loss of his father, brother, uncle and grandfather. Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident.