My hands suffered the most because they were exposed the most. [6], The 198485 season had been one of Bradford City's most successful seasons, ending with City clinching the championship title courtesy of a 20 victory against Bolton Wanderers in the penultimate game of the season. It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. The 1984-85 season had been one of the most successful in Bradford City's 82-year history. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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. We didn't know how serious it was.". 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. [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. 'It is the worst day in my life. [6] 1908 - Parker Building, New York City, January 10. [40] Matthew Wildman was 17 at the time and needed crutches to walk because of rheumatoid arthritis. ", "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 the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. The fact the inquiry also embraced the investigation into another incident which happened on the same day, a riot in which a young boy died at Birmingham City, makes it seem more frivolous. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. Police removed the last body from the ground at 4 am yesterday, working under arc lights. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Helm: "There was a throw-in in front of the stand where the fire started - something caught my eye. 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". I had no idea. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. "The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room.". [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 don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from the inaccuracies in this report [documentary] are dumbfounding. One family was in tears, the mother shaking. ", 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. 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. [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. [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. Warning: Some readers may find parts of this content distressing. "For the first minute people were laughing and joking, it wasn't anything serious. Loading. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. Of the 56people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. Of the 56 people who died in the fire,[2] 54 were Bradford supporters and two supported Lincoln. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". Some days I had two operations in a day. 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." Mr Antony Burrows said: 'One man was stood near me with his hair on fire. [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". 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. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. 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. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. He was asked if precautions would have been adequate had the club been in the Second Division. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. 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. Stories From 11 May. Yet many of those with terrible memories of the tragedy also take heart in the compassion born out of the devastation. "I was in the stand opposite when the fire broke out. "It is the little things that show how much people are still involved the fire still has a big impact on people. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. [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. I don't see that. 56 people dead. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. 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. Like all areas of forensic investigations, it has come on leaps and bounds. 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. A minute later he saw a small plume of smoke so he poured his coffee on it and so did his son. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. ', Sports reporters covering the game also spoke of the disaster. The stories of escapes are legion. 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. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. Artist Paul Town, who now lives in Baildon, was 15 at the time of the fire. "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.". It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. 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'. People were falling on to each other and screaming. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. The team's coach, Mr Terry Yorath, ran on to the pitch to try to help people away from the stand. ', 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. [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. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. 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. We had not been told anything.". Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. People pushed him to the ground and tried to smother the flames. Fifty-six people were killed, 265 were injured and thousands bore witness to the worst fire disaster in the history of English football. We couldn't breathe. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning, Revealed: former Bradford chairman linked to at least eight fires before Valley Parade disaster, Martin Fletcher: Maybe the reason I am here is to finally reveal the truth, TheStory of the Bradford Fire: could any man really be as unlucky as Stafford Heginbotham?. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, but I'm afraid it is nonsense for many reasons.". "[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]. And all you could smell was burning.". There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". [19] One fan put his jumper over a fellow supporter's head to extinguish flames. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. 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 photographed the blaze from start to finish and the police will use this as evidence when an inquest is held. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible. The heat was so intense it caused car windows to shatter in the street. [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. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. 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. 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. Some people seem to have run back up the slope, thinking that they could get back through the turnstiles, and were burned alive. 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. "I was burnt from top to bottom, on and off. Witnesses of the fire have come to terms with the tragedy in different ways. "[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'. I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. [5] However, he also warned the club of a build-up of litter beneath the stand because of a gap between the seats.