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. He saw smoke coming from a small area of the stand and thought that someone had let off a flare. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. 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. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. 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. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. So I decided to give it that next push. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. Bradford fire 11.5.1985.mpg - video Dailymotion "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. "I was in the main stand when the fire happened," he says. He was helped out of the stand by other fans and spent a period of time in hospital. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - HISTORY ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. 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. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. 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. 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. Fifty-six people died. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. "I want the truth to be out, the myths to be broken, so that I can get on with my life rather than knowing this information and having to live with this information. You could hardly breathe. Our world has a varied history full of terrible tragedies, bizarre tales, unexplained events, and extravagant people. 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. There is a twin memorial sculpture, unveiled on 11 May 1986, which has the names of the dead inscribed on it. [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. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. The fire brigade said that when heat builds up so quickly it can cause flames to move much quicker than people can walk. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. "Then we ran out in our tracksuits each holding a massive card with a letter. 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. Bradford, playing into a strong wind, were struggling to break down a Lincoln side already safe from relegation. 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. We didn't know how serious it was.". 05/10/15 AT 12:00 PM BST Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire Getty Images Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands. All Rights Reserved. His son Christopher normally watches from the stand but on Saturday he joined other fans elsewhere. Although I was only 12 at the time, 11 May 1985 is a day. The fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium in which 56 people died and more than 270 were injured is remembered 25 years on. The money raised from this record was contributed to fund the internationally renowned burns unit that was established in partnership between the University of Bradford and Bradford Royal Infirmary, immediately after the fire, which has also been Bradford City's official charity for well over a decade. We had not been told anything.". At 3.40pm, five minutes before half-time, a glowing light was spotted three rows from the back of block G. "We were stood in line with the 18-yard, the penalty area, when we saw some smoke and a bit of fire diagonally from where we were. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. The Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the fire risk that the rubbish accumulating under the stand had posed. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. 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. Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. Wildman: "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. It took the firemen four minutes to arrive at the ground but the speed of the fire was such that the blaze also took only four minutes to grip the entire stand. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. The Bradford City Stadium Fire 1985 - The Football Inferno 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST Crowds on the pitch at the Valley Parade stadium after a stand caught fire Getty Images Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. BBC News - Bradford fire 'will live with me forever' ", 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. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. The man we see at 7:50 walking out onto the pitch on fire was a retired mill worker. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. "The fire still has a big impact on people," Parker says. 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. We couldn't breathe. The Most Tragic Nightclub Fires In History - Grunge.com 199 Bradford City Stadium Fire Photos and Premium High Res Pictures "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. The two sides met for the first time after the fire in April 1989, when they arranged a benefit match in aid of the Hillsborough disaster, at Valley Parade. There was a bit of paper on fire, but it was so small.". 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. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. Some days I had two operations in a day. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. But I've never spoken to anyone who thought the fire wasn't anything other than a tragic accident. Fifty-six people died. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. He later died in hospital. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. I don't see that. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. 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. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. A fire at a third division match between Bradford City and Lincoln City killed 56, including 11 children, and injured hundreds more. Hundreds more telephoned the police to try to trace relatives. The game was irrelevant. The flames suddenly appeared and the whole roof took alight,' he said. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. We sat in the main stand the week before, but we had decided to move on that day," he says. Recommended The untold stories of the 1985 fire Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. [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. [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. 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. 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. On 11 May 1985 a fire erupted in the midst of a third-division tie between Bradford City and Lincoln City at Valley Parade, killing 54 home supporters and two Lincoln fans. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. Since 1903, when the club was formed, Bradford City Association Football Club had played their home games at the ground. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. He lit a cigarette and when it was coming to an end he put it down on to the floorboard and tried to put his foot on it to put it out. "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. "[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. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. "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. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. People were clambering over the wall on to the ground with their clothes and hair on fire. I had no idea. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. Bradford fan Matthew Wildman, who was aged 17 and using crutches because of rheumatoid arthritis: "When I got to one of the final walls, there was an eight-foot drop at the other side, concrete at the bottom. There is no evidence in the book, he is just pointing out there are some coincidences. And the black and twisted skeleton of the burnt stand stood out in the night. "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.". 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. Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame [8][9] In the crowd were local dignitaries and guests from three of Bradford's twin townsVerviers in Belgium, and Mnchengladbach and Hamm in West Germany. Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire It is a simple account laid out for all to see. 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. "[23], On the 25th anniversary of the fire, the University of Bradford established the United Kingdom's largest academic research centre in skin sciences as an extension to its plastic surgery and burns research unit.[24]. he asks. "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. Valley Parade in Bradford, West Yorkshire, was built in 1886 and was initially the home ground of Manningham Rugby Football Club. "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. [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.