burning man bradford city stadium fire

1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. 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 think that is unlikely,' he said. [53], In 1986, a year after the disaster, Yorkshire Television aired a documentary presented by John Helm entitled Bradford City A Year of Healing. "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. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters. 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. The smoke was choking. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". "[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. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. 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. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. ", "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. "But the feeling here is that it is hard to believe that someone would purposefully start a fire. However, there is a lot in this book that troubles me about the science, or lack of it, used in the testing of the investigators' hypothesis as to the source of the ignition. She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. I saw a group of people around the smoke laughing. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. "The one thing I remember at the time is we were grateful that we got an answer quickly after the inquiry. 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. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. 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 smoke was choking. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. "[59], Raymond Falconer's reliability had previously been questioned by Daniel Taylor in The Guardian who stated that: "The Bradford Telegraph and Argus described him as a 'top detective'. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. More than 3,500 people were crammed into the main stand area and this prevented people from moving away from the blaze quickly. I had no idea. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. 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. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. I rolled over on my head, jumped up and ran off.". A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. 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. The Bradford City disaster took place on Saturday May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, England. Christopher Hammond, who was 12 on the day, said on the 20th anniversary of the fire: "As a 12-year-old, it was easy to move on I didn't realise how serious it was until I looked at the press coverage over the next few days. 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'. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. 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? Listen to Valley Parade: Bradford City Fire Remembered on BBC Radio Leeds (18:00 BST) and BBC Radio 5 live (21:00 BST). 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. [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. 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. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. "All I could see was eerie white lights that the fire brigade had set up and the smoke still in the sky. It was clear from what the Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire, Mr Graham Karran, said yesterday that the ground was far from safe. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. "It made me realise life is too short." It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. He photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. "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.". You could hardly breathe. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. Bradford City stadium fire: The untold stories of the 1985 fire that devastated Valley Parade Thirty years after football's 'forgotten tragedy', the truth of what exactly happened when 56. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. ', 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. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". [4], Although there had been some changes to other parts of the ground, the main stand remained unaltered by 1985. My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. [38], The tragedy received immense media attention and drew support from around the world, with those offering their sympathy including Queen Elizabeth II, Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher and Pope John Paul II. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. 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 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. 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. 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. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. 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. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. 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. It seemed to put it out. That's when everybody else had the same thought. [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. [10][16] Geoffrey Mitchell said: "There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit which was padlocked. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. 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 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. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape.

Sameerah Marrel Detroit, Office Of Chief Trial Counsel State Bar Of California, South Glos Payroll Contact Number, Places To Drive In Adelaide At Night, Articles B