burning man bradford city stadium fire burning man bradford city stadium fire

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". But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. The wooden roof that burned was scheduled to be replaced by a steel roof later that same . Mr Delahunte was screaming into his microphone describing the scene until it became impossible to continue broadcasting. It was sort of the good thing to come out of the nightmare," says Simon Parker, a football reporter for the Telegraph and Argus. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. [10] One eyewitness, Geoffrey Mitchell, told the BBC: "It spread like a flash. 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. 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. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" We were given the trophy before the game in front of the supporters and had to do a lap of honour. Once we went out it was mayhem, manic, chaotic. " Burning Man," " Burning Man Project," " Black Rock City ", and . We, and the world, need Burning Man and Black Rock City more than ever. Bradford city council officials, off-duty policemen and guests from Bradford 's twin town, Munchengladbach, were there to celebrate. Yet in 2015, allegations surfaced which shifted the focus to the club's then chairman, Stafford Heginbotham. Stadium disasters have blighted the world of sport throughout modern history. Today marks the 35th anniversary of one of the worst disasters in the history of British football. Each year Lincoln send representatives to the annual memorial service in Bradford city centre and between 2007 and 2009, were managed by Bradford's captain that day, Peter Jackson. "[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. By this date the appeal fund set up for survivors had paid out more than 4m with further payouts expected as the effects of physical and mental injury were determined. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". [10][11], Bradford's Telegraph & Argus newspaper published a souvenir issue for 11 May, entitled, "Spit and Polish for the Parade Ground". [45] PCs Peter Donald Barrett and David Charles Midgley, along with spectators Michael William Bland and Timothy Peter Leigh received the Queen's Commendation for Brave Conduct. 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'. [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. Bradford City were supposed to be celebrating on 11 May 1985. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. There was some kind of disturbance near the edge of a block of seats in the G section of the main stand. Together, flanked by undocumented supporters, they managed to clear all but one person who made it to the front of the stand. The game was irrelevant.". At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. 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. Christmas Day is supposed to be happy and pleasant, a time to gather with loved ones for a chill and relaxing celebration. "[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. Some days I had two operations in a day. [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. Funnily enough I was thinking 'I'm going to miss the second half at this rate'. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. I saw one man lying on the ground, burning from head to foot. Most of those who escaped onto the pitch were saved.[10]. After its renovation in 1990 they named the home end of their ground the 'Stacey-West Stand', in honour of Bill Stacey and Jim West, the two Lincoln City supporters who were amongst the 56 to die at Bradford. It was nearly double the season's average of 6,610 and included 3,000fans in the ground's main stand. However, the fire had consumed the stand entirely by that point and they were faced with huge flames and very dense smoke. 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. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. "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 sling is now used internationally in the treatment of burns. 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. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. 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". [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. What Is Burning Man? Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. From 50 to 60 yards away, it was burning our faces it was unbearable. The fire brigade arrived at the ground four minutes after they were initially alerted. Edited by BBC Sport's Jonathan Jurejko. > Contacts> Join us> Circulars> Training courses> Sign up to Rollcall. It was the brainchild of Bradford City fan Lloyd Spencer with all profits going to the Bradford Royal Infirmary Burns Unit.[43]. A giant Christian cross, made up of two large charred wooden members[44] that had once been part of the stand, was constructed in front of the middle of the stand and behind the pitchside speaker's platform. It wasn't until later on when assistant manager Terry Yorath came in and said: 'It's not good.'". They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. ', 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. Steel was to be installed in the roof,[8] and the wooden terracing was to be replaced with concrete. The stand itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. The smoke was choking. 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. Led by former England international Trevor Cherry, the Bantams won only their third divisional title and earned a return to the second tier of English football for the first time since 1937. "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. Television cameras spotted the outbreak of fire in Valley Parade's main stand at 15:40 BST. "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. He had to undergo counselling and was unable to go to another game for several years. You may notice some big changes in Black Rock City this year. I'd seen the film on the Saturday but the bleakness of the stadium burnt out, and the gloom that afflicted everybody, was dreadful. A new book, written by Valley Parade survivor Martin Fletcher, claims then-Bradford City chairman Stafford Heginbotham had previously netted millions of pounds from insurance payouts after at least eight previous fires at businesses he was associated with. "Then we ran out in our tracksuits each holding a massive card with a letter. Police officers also assisted in the rescue attempts. The stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. People were arriving in a daze outside Bradford police headquarters on Saturday evening and early yesterday. [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. 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. Eighty names were unaccounted for and there were no positive indications about the cause of the fire. The fire happened during a football match. He asks the reader to make their mind up about whether these fires were a coincidence or not.". "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. After 40 minutes of the first half, fans had begun to complain about the drab match and the 0-0 score. His face was burned and his car, which he had parked outside the ground, was destroyed. The heat inside the stand literally ignited people where they stood. At the time, however, Harrison says, Bradford just wanted to move on. [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. [29] The Health and Safety Executive who were also part of the legal action were found to be non-liable. 48,785 Location Lake Jonathan Creek The footage never gets any less shocking. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. [11], The disaster also had a long-lasting effect on the fans. BurningMan.NYC will announce the dates and process for the 2023 grant cycle on this site & all BurningMan.NYC social channels in early Spring. "As well as those who lost their lives or were injured, there are the relatives and friends, the others who were at the game, and those who would normally have gone to the match but decided not to that day. 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. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. 'They did not have a chance. 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. People were falling on to each other and screaming. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. Sir Oliver Popplewell, the High Court judge who led the Valley Parade inquiry in 1985: "The scene when I arrived was horrendous. 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. This day was for them. 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. Pendleton: "I walked past a public telephone outside the ground and there were queues of people waiting to ring home to say: 'I'm OK'. "It made me realise life is too short." "That was the legacy of the tragedy. Bradford City continues to support the burns unit at the University of Bradford as its official charity. I've never seen anything like it. 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. Supporters either ran upwards to the back of the stand or downwards to the pitch to escape. Martin Fletcher, whose brother, father, grandfather and uncle all died in the fire: "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. Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). There were queues of people outside houses, which obviously wouldn't happen nowadays. They stood outside the headquarters, staring at nothing in particular. "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. And all you could smell was burning.". The Bradford way was keep it to ourselves - it worked collectively that we did that. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. The Bradford City stadium fire occurred during a Football League Third Division match on Saturday, 11 May 1985 at the Valley Parade stadium in Bradford, West Yorkshire, England, killing 56 spectators and injuring at least 265. Fletcher said that "The club at the time took no actual responsibility for its actions and nobody has ever really been held accountable for the level of negligence which took place. "We wouldn't normally have covered that game - no question about it. Someone came in and shouted: 'Get out, get out there's a fire'. I looked down and I saw my hands melting. Copyright 2023 IBTimes UK. [2] By 1911, his work was completed. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. Speculation an Australian man started the Bradford City stadium fire in 1985 IT killed 56 people and destroyed an entire stadium. "I've always loved art but I owned businesses in construction so I've never had the time or a chance to follow it up," he says. Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. As he scaled the brick perimeter wall at the front, his father stayed behind to help others escape. [citation needed] Spectators later spoke of initially feeling their feet becoming warmer; one of them ran to the back of the stand for a fire extinguisher but found none. [45] In total, 28 police officers and 22 supporters, who were publicly documented as having saved at least one life, later received police commendations or bravery awards. Copyright , Fire Brigades Union, 2023. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football.. Lincoln City chairman Bob Dorrian, centre, is joined by Former Imps Players Association chairman Trevor Swinburne, left, and chairman of the Red Imps. Within a few hours of the blaze starting, it was established that 56 people had been killed, many as a result of smoke inhalation, although some of them had survived until reaching hospital.[11]. 'It is the worst day in my life. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. 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. Twenty nine years ago on this date, 56 people tragically died when a fire erupted at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground The day was supposed to be one of celebration for Bradford who had just won the Third Division trophy. The blaze quickly engulfed the stand as Bradford played Lincoln City and claimed the lives of 59 people on May 11, 1985. On 11 May 1985 a blaze ripped through Bradford City stadium's wooden structure in minutes as the club played Lincoln City in an end of season match. One family was in tears, the mother shaking. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. His most recent painting is a powerful image; two fans in Bradford and Lincoln City kits, surrounded by 54 other figures. [8][10] Three men smashed down one door and at least one exit was opened by people outside, which again helped prevent further deaths. "I saw people die in the stand - but it was only until then that I realised the scale of it.". 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'. [52], On 1 May 2010, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the fire the football TV show Football Focus was hosted from Valley Parade by Dan Walker, the show included interviews with Terry Yorath and John Hendrie. 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.. According to ABC News, though, several hundred people in the Chinese city of Luoyang decided to cut loose on Christmas night 2000 by heading to a nightclub housed on the fourth floor of a multi-use industrial building.A fire broke out in the basement of the structure . Within five minutes the whole stand was engulfed in flames. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. [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. Interviews conducted by BBC Radio Leeds' Tim Daley. That's when everybody else had the same thought. I remember trying to make sense of what was going on. "We had already won the league, all the hard work had been done. 1909 - Flores Theater fire, Acapulco, Guerrero, Mexico, on February 15, killed 250. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. 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? 'I have to tell you that the fire was so intense that identifying people is going to be the great problem we have to face.'. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. The smoke was choking. Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. The scene in there was one of silence and shock. "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.". Bradford council introduced its emergency plans procedure yesterday to give aid to many families affected by the disaster. Read about our approach to external linking. 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. "I got stuck against the wall with the weight of people behind me trying to get over. Part of the service was also held in Urdu and Punjabi as a sign of appreciation to the local ethnically Asian Subcontinental community in Manningham, Bradford and around Valley Parade who had opened their homes to Bradford City supporters to provide assistance in the immediate aftermath of the disaster. Burning Man.NYC. 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. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. [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. 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 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. "I was in the main stand when the fire happened," he says. More than 250 others were injured in one of the biggest disasters at a British football ground. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. The inquiry into the disaster, chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell and known as the Popplewell Inquiry,[25] led to the introduction of new legislation to improve safety at the UK's football grounds. 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. Police had an official photographer at the game, watching for crowd disturbance. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. 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. One man in tears said: 'He looked as if he was just going for a stroll. The match was recorded by Yorkshire Television for their regional edition of the ITV Sunday afternoon football show The Big Match. 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. ", "If the inquiry is opened again, we will await to see what evidence there is to prove is wasn't an accident," he says. 'The fire just spread along the length of the stand in seconds. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. 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. "I know it's a clich to say that, but it's true.". The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation.