Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. The game was irrelevant.". Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. 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. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. 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. What Is Burning Man? Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken Daniel Taylor The policewoman assigned to the grieving Fletchers gets goosebumps when she looks back to 30 years ago. [10][16] More than 265 supporters were injured. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. Fifty-six people died. 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." "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. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Bradford City initially prospered in the Second Division only missing out on promotion to the First Division in 1988 after failing to beat Ipswich Town at home on the final day of their first full season back at Valley Parade. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. 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. "We stayed in the pub for hours. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. ", "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. It spelt out 'thank you fans'. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. It was also a catalyst for the substantial redevelopment and modernisation of many British football grounds within the following thirty years. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. 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'. [48] Profits from the play's run at The Edinburgh Fringe were donated to the Bradford Burns Unit. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. 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As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. [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. 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. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. One man clambered over burning seats to help a fan, as did player John Hawley, and one officer led fans to an exit, only to find it shut and turn around.Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand, ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. But the sheer density of numbers coupled with the thick, choking smoke made people collapse. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. Sign up and stay up to date with our daily newsletter. Videos, gifs, or aftermath photos of machinery, structures, or devices But a minute or so later there was suddenly a bigger whoosh of smoke so they went to get a steward. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. "[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. All that was left of. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". It was unprecedented.". "I was in the stand opposite when the fire broke out. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. [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. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. The 51 other bodies of children, women and men were so badly burned that identification will take many days. 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 Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. Soon they were all running for their lives. 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. A call was made on a police radio to the police operations room in Bradford and relayed to the fire brigade at 3.43 pm. Warnings had been issued over the ground's antiquated wooden structure, which had been condemned and was due to be pulled down and replaced with steel and concrete. "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. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. 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'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. Following his own 15 year investigation Into the fire, which killed four of his family members while he escaped, former tax accountant Martin Fletcher released 56: The Story of the Bradford Fire (2015). Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. [8], The Bradford City matchday squad of players and staff consisted of Terry Yorath, Trevor Cherry, Chris Withe, Don Goodman, Eric McManus, Tony Clegg, John Hawley, Dave Evans, Bryan Edwards, John Hendrie, Mark Ellis, Stuart McCall, Peter Jackson, Bobby Campbell, Martin Singleton and Greg Abbott. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. He agreed that the inquiry into Bradford, led by the judge Oliver Popplewell, was inadequate and that there are many unanswered questions. 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 . An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. We didn't know how serious it was.". Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. The fire claimed young and old alike, with most fatalities occurring at the rear of the stand where people sought escape only to find turnstiles locked. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. ", Popplewell: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". The blaze, at the Happy Land Social Club in the Bronx, killed 87 people, the . Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. [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. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. 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. 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. There is no malicious vendetta, there is no over-exaggeration, there are no trumped-up facts. "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. 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. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. ', Bradford City Fire Website messages of condolence from around the world, "Chuckle Brothers' single for Bradford City fire anniversary", "Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire", "Emotive play of Bradford City fire disaster raises cash for burns unit", "Book Review: Four Minutes to Hell: The Story of the Bradford City Fire by Paul Firth football book reviews", "Football Focus 1st May 2010 Bradford City Part 1", Bradford City A year of healing Documentary, "Bradford fire: expert demands new investigation into blaze", "Bradford City stadium fire 1985 IPCC investigation decision", "BRADFORD CITY FIRE: Accidental cause of tragedy 'not in any doubt', says detective", "Bradford City fire 'started by cigarette', "Bradford City fire: Briton attacks 'inaccurate' BBC documentary claiming his uncle started blaze", "Bradford fire: Sir Oliver Popplewell defends 1985 inquiry interview in full", Living with Jacko From Touchline to Lifeline, Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire, The full Interim Report by Lord Popplewell into the Bradford City Fire, British Medical Journal article on the treatment of burns casualties after the Bradford City Fire, Peter Jackson's account of the Bradford City Fire, Nationally broadcast Yorkshire Television programme covering the fire, broadcast the following day, ITN bulletin covering the fire, also from the following day, ITN bulletin covering the aftermath, from three days later, Chelsea F.C. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. "All you could see was black cloud. "[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. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. 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. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. 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. The main stand at Bradford was not surrounded by fencing, and therefore most of the spectators in it could escape onto the pitch if they had been penned in then the death toll would inevitably have been in the hundreds if not the thousands. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. I had no idea. "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. [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. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . Parents and children were laughing and joking with the police as the preliminaries to the game began. Loading. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. 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. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. 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. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. 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. 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. This day was for them. "I looked up and saw the flames. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. 'They did not have a chance. 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. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. The entrances to the stand were all at the rear and were higher than the rest of the ground. [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. "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. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 'This was a dreadful afternoon. [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. 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. "[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. 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. 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. Only one person had been positively identified by police by early last night. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. 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.. Just look at how many people were standing around just 50-60 meters away from the blazing inferno. He started to walk home, unsure of what had happened to his father. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. 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. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. It was to be our day,' he said. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. It was an awful thing to watch.". " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . 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.