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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. [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. 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 horrific scenes of people burning alive seemed to live on in an eerie silence as daylight broke over the remains of Bradford City Football Club's ground yesterday. 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. Original television coverage of the fire, as caught by cameras covering the match. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. Martin Fletcher, a Bradford fan who lost three generations of his family in the fire, published a memoir of the tragic event called Fifty-Six The Story Of The Bradford Fire, in which he claimed the blaze at Valley Parade was one of nine fires at businesses owned by or associated with Heginbotham. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium.
The Most Tragic Nightclub Fires In History - Grunge.com "We stayed in the pub for hours. "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Helm later described the start of the fire in an interview to the Express newspaper: .mw-parser-output .templatequote{overflow:hidden;margin:1em 0;padding:0 40px}.mw-parser-output .templatequote .templatequotecite{line-height:1.5em;text-align:left;padding-left:1.6em;margin-top:0}, [A] man over from Australia visiting his son got two tickets to the game. 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. 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". "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" 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. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. Hendrie: "Several minutes before half-time I saw there was a wee bit of bother.
BBC News - Bradford fire 'will live with me forever' As we move ahead on the 2030 Sustainability Roadmap, sustainability projects are taking center stage. The whole fire seemed to erupt in seconds,' he said. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. 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. Although some attributed Lincoln City's sudden demise to the psychological effects of the fire on its players (together with the resignation of successful manager Colin Murphy shortly before the fire), it symbolised the wider crisis that the introduction of new safety legislation brought to Lincoln's Sincil Bank home. "[28], West Yorkshire Metropolitan County Council was found to have failed in its duty under the Fire Precautions Act 1971. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. I had no idea. Read about our approach to external linking.
List of building or structure fires - Wikipedia "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. We went there to win the last game in front of a home crowd. "[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. Soon they were all running for their lives. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. 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. Earlier this year, Town gave up working in construction to pursue painting full-time through his business Stadium Portraits. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand.
Bradford City stadium fire: BBC documentary says Aussie man to blame Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. [10] The call was timed at 3:43pm. More than 200 people were taken to hospital, many with terrible injuries. [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. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. The book also raises concerns about the speed of the inquiry and the fact that it commenced a few weeks after the fire and lasted for only a few days, whereas other inquiries into similar incidents, pre and post the Bradford fire, have taken years to come to fruition and months to be heard. All that was left of. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. 56 dead and hundreds more injured. 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]. "If we were fed a lie about it being an accident, then we will be educated. The stand slopes downwards from the South Parade. 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. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. 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. 'They did not have a chance. We didn't know how serious it was.". 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. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. 1908 - Collinwood school fire, in Collinwood, Ohio (soon absorbed by Cleveland ), on March 4, killed 175. 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. Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. In the panic that ensued, fleeing crowds escaped on to the pitch but others at the back of the stand tried to break down locked exit doors to escape. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. "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. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. 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. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. 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. [36], In 2010, Susan Fletcher's son and survivor of the Bradford City fire (and witness to the Hillsborough disaster), Martin Fletcher, openly criticised the club's hierarchy at the time of the fire and the subsequent investigation. There were no fire extinguishers. The courts held the club to be two thirds responsible, finding that it gave "no or very little thought to fire precautions" despite repeated warnings. People had walked through turnstiles and along a wooden corridor before descending the steps into their seats. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . 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. The stand had been officially condemned and was due to be replaced with a steel structure after the season ended. 1985: Fans killed in Bradford stadium 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. Disaster struck at 3.43 pm. Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. 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". [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. "Then we ran out in our tracksuits each holding a massive card with a letter. By the time they got back, the whole thing had taken off. I've never seen anything like it.
Bradford fire: the horrors and the silence that had to be broken Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. 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. The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. There was hardly anything left of him.'. I hope you enjoy some of the fascinating stories we have here.#History #Disasters Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape.
Bradford City stadium fire disaster: In memory of the 56 victims It made me realise life is too short and I'm a happier person for it.". After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division.
Bradford City stadium fire. A football match in Bradford UK ends Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape. Fifty people die in a fire in the grandstand at a soccer stadium in Bradford, England, on May 11, 1985. 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. Then the flames and smoke were all over the place.'. The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. Exactly 79 years to the day after the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire, another tragic fire occurred in New York City. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". The only fire extinguishers in the ground were in the clubroom, which is also in the main stand. 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. I ran to the stand and tried to help people escape. The main stand at Valley Parade burned down after what was thought to be a dropped cigarette led to flames which engulfed the entire wooden structure. 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. 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. The horrific scenes of people burning alive seemed to live on in an eerie silence as daylight broke over the remains of Bradford City Football Club's ground yesterday. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. 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 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. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. 2022 DECOMPRESSION WAS DREAMY . The stories of escapes are legion. "[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. The Man burns on September 02, 2023. It is repeated across the country on BBC Two at 23:20 BST on Wednesday, 13 May. 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. Hendrie: "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. 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. 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. I was there in hospital for eight weeks - it felt like a lifetime. [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. 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. [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. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. It wasn't just something that happened in the past.". 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. he asks. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. 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).
Bradford City stadium fire: Remembering the 56 who died at Valley - IBT 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. ", 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. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. 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. "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. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. 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. 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. I don't see that. "[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. People were wandering around outside the ground in disbelief, reminiscent of an air disaster, at what had happened the day before. Valley Parade re-opened on 14 December 1986, when Bradford City beat an England XI 21 in a friendly. "Some of the local residents opened their houses so people could make phone calls. Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. "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. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. 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. Tarpaulin fell on them and stuck to their clothes and then ignited. We wanted to record the trophy presentation. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". I have never had to deal with such a situation before, and this has put the city on its heels.'. Only then do you realise the huge network of people the fire involved.
Bradford City fire: Police reveal who was responsible for 1985 Valley His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. 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. 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 fire 11.5.1985.mpg - video Dailymotion
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