burning man bradford city stadium fire

I had to put my jumper over his hair to put the blaze out. [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Spreading with almost unbelievable speed, a small fire under a wooden. At 3.40pm, television commentator John Helm remarked upon a small fire in the main stand; in less than four minutes, with the windy conditions, the fire had engulfed the whole stand, trapping some people in their seats. "[16] At the front of the stand, men threw children over the wall to help them escape. Most recognizably, tens of thousands of Burners gather annually to build Black Rock City, a participative temporary metropolis . "I parked my van outside because I started making enough money painting as I was in construction. They were donated by Bradford's twin city of Hamm, Germany, and are situated in front of Bradford City Hall in both locations. Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire - HISTORY What Is Burning Man? | Burning Man 'It is the worst day in my life. It remains to be seen whether a new investigation will take place. Everybody in the city was devastated, but there was an amazing number of volunteers. 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. "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 stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. ", IBT UK Morning Brief - Let the best of International News come to you. "I feel such information should be made public and people should look at those facts, then make their mind up on those facts. 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. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). [31] In 1988, the first compensation payments were made to survivors of the fire, with over 40 people receiving up to 40,000 each. So I threw myself over the wall and luckily someone dived in to catch me before I hit the floor.". "Us players must have been in the tunnel for seconds - and I mean seconds. Bits of my arms, bits of my legs, part of my face, part of my scalp. [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. Burning Man is an event focused on community, art, self-expression, and self-reliance held annually in the western United States. People smothered him to extinguish the flames, but he later died of his injuries in hospital. Others ran forward to try to clamber over a fence and a small wall on to the pitch. It was clear from what the Chief Fire Officer for West Yorkshire, Mr Graham Karran, said yesterday that the ground was far from safe. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. We had not been told anything.". Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. Those who rescued people were themselves burned in the process. We were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. 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. Instead it turned into a day of appalling tragedy. 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. 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. "[35], The total amount of compensation to the 154 claimants was reported to be as high as 20million, with the payouts covered by insurance taken out by the club. 'The smoke was very, very dense. [11], The fire escalated very rapidly, and flames became visible; police started to evacuate the stand. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. We had not been told anything.". Within 48 hours of the disaster, the Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund had been set up and would eventually raise over 3.5m ($5.4m). "We went out on to the pitch and I could see so many happy faces. 527 votes, 98 comments. It slipped through a hole in the floorboard. 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. As a result, Bradford-born captain Peter Jackson was presented with the league trophy before the final game of the season with mid-table Lincoln City at Valley Parade on 11 May 1985. Like you, we're already preparing for Black Rock City to rise again. Surviving supporters, former Bradford players, the sole television commentator at the stadium and the judge who led the government inquiry tell the BBC about that fateful afternoon and its aftermath. But all the people being treated, we formed a family, a bond.". The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. Some of the dead were found at the bottom of these steps. [] I still have terrible memories of the day, but it is the humanity of those that helped us that I reflect on."[41]. "[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. [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. Soon they were all running for their lives. "That was the moment that I realised not everybody was going to get out. A bid of 350 has been made for the original painting and Town will sell 56 prints in memorial of those who lost their lives, with the aim of raising 3,000 for the Bradford Burns Unit. [46], In 2014, the theatre company Funny You Should Ask (FYSA) premiered their heartfelt tribute to the 56 people who died at the fire. [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. He was completely on fire and it looked as though he simply did not know what had happened to him.'. However, when Bradford City won promotion to the highest level of English football, Division One, in 1908, club officials sanctioned an upgrade programme. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Your brain tells you, you are not going anywhere. It was during this treatment that Sharpe began to develop the Bradford Sling,[21] which applies even pressure across sensitive areas. 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. [30], The outcome of the test case resulted in over 154 claims being addressed (110 civilians and 44 police officers)[31] by the injured or bereaved. Keep an eye out as you ride your bike through the city you will see a new solar-powered Man, fewer gas and . "I was operated on every other day because I had so many burns and so many areas to work on. She was an. "That was the legacy of the tragedy. 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. She was hysterical and trying to find her three children. [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. An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. A police officer shouted to a colleague for an extinguisher, but his call was misheard and instead the fire brigade were radioed. Many who had walked out of the fire stood on the pitch looking back in horror as the flames destroyed the stand. One elderly man started to walk across the pitch with his clothes and face ablaze. Now a new film claims an Australian was responsible for the worst . The fire destroyed the main stand completely and left only burned seats, lamps and metal fences remaining. I saw a group of people around the smoke laughing. [26], In July 1985, an inquest was held into the deaths; at the hearings the coroner James Turnbull recommended a death by misadventure outcome, with which the jury agreed. Within five minutes the whole stand was engulfed in flames. [58] Following this report, Leslie Brownlie, who was the nephew in question, is reported to have said that his uncle never made such an admission of starting the fire. [53], In 1986, a year after the disaster, Yorkshire Television aired a documentary presented by John Helm entitled Bradford City A Year of Healing. In the last few years, the BCFC kit-man John Duckworth did a sponsored 73-mile walk between Lincoln's Sincil Bank stadium and Valley Parade, joined by Bradford fans along the way. The man in charge of investigating the fire, Detective Superintendent Kevin Cooper was at the game. 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 itself was engulfed in seconds, almost as if petrol had been ignited throughout the block. People pushed him to the ground and tried to smother the flames. "How quickly the fire spread is difficult to convey to people.". "Could any man really be as unlucky as Heginbotham had been?" 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. BBC Sport looks back at the Bradford City fire disaster that claimed the lives of 56 spectators when a stand became engulfed in flames on 11 May 1985. [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. The blame was through neglect, they didn't have the money to maintain the stand. 56 people dead. Pendleton: "Many people still don't want to talk about the disaster. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. Helm: "The scene became progressively horrendous, grotesque, and I was having to describe things you couldn't possibly imagine.". In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. One woman was seen running around the ground with no skin on her arms and face. [14] It took less than four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames.[11]. We couldn't breathe. The firemen who arrived there were met by a wall of flame and dense black smoke. ", On 26 January 2016, the IPCC declined calls for an investigation and published its full response online. [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. The worst fire disaster in English football history played out on live television on May 11, after Valley Parade's main stand caught fire during a match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on . While Valley Parade was re-developed, Bradford City played games at various neighbouring grounds: Elland Road, Leeds; Leeds Road, Huddersfield; and Odsal Stadium, Bradford. Today, locals continue to raise money for the Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in memory of the victims of the fire. "[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. We accepted it was an accident, nobody wanted to blame the club because it was the club we wanted to support. Below the seats were rows of litter which had piled up throughout the season, said witnesses. Somebody looked round and grabbed me by the hood of my coat to pull me over. Bradford City Stadium Fire - Saturday 11th May 1985 The mood before the match on the 11 May 1985 against Lincoln City was one of jubilation. ", There has always been a close bond between the club and its supporters since the fire, he adds. When the game began there was no way out for them, except by going on to the pitch. They were immediately promoted back to the Football League in 1988, and survived for 23 years before being relegated again in 2011. [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. One, now re-situated to that end of the stand where the fire began, is a sculpture donated on the initial re-opening of Valley Parade in December 1986 by Sylvia Graucob, a then Jersey-based former West Yorkshire woman. [10] Bradford City's coach Terry Yorath, whose family was in the stand,[19] ran onto the pitch to help evacuate people. 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'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. Town began to paint two years ago, first of the old Bradford Park Avenue ground, before moving onto other stadiums. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. The game was goalless after 40 minutes when play was stopped. "I was dragged on to the pitch and into a line of people, who couldn't do much for themselves and were lying there. And then suddenly, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. 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 . The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. The Documentary highlighted the 'poison pen letters' and graffiti targeted at the then club chairman Stafford Heginbotham over accusations that he was in some way personally responsible for the deaths of the 56 people who died at the fire.[54]. Survival Guide 2022 Bradford City fire was started by a tourist who dropped a cigarette The game was irrelevant. 1908 - Rhoads Opera House fire, Boyertown, Pennsylvania, killed 170. 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. It's terrifying how quickly fire spreads in the wrong circumstances. An ancient wooden spectator stand and a dropped cigarette - the ingredients for one of Britain's deadliest soccer tragedies. Another player went into the office space to ensure there was nobody there. It was a gruesome sight to see bodies still sitting upright in their seats, covered in tarpaulin. The Bradford city stadium fire. 56 people died when a - reddit The next day work began on clearing the burnt out shell of the stand, and Justice Popplewell released his findings into the disaster. 1985 disaster in Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford, England. Some days I had two operations in a day. 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 were sat in our football kit, we didn't know what to do. At Valley Parade there are now two memorials. Representatives from the fire brigade were due to go to the club tomorrow to inspect it and see whether regulations were being observed. Pendleton: "One of my most haunting images was being on the bus home after dark and going past Valley Parade. 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. Fire kills 50 at soccer stadium - HISTORY The stand had no perimeter fencing to keep fans from accessing the pitch, thus averting an instance of crush asphyxia as in the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. Bradford City Stadium Fire: The Forgotten Fire Tragedy of 1985 that At the final home match against Barnsley at the end of April, Bradford City fans collected more than 8,000 in a bucket collection. Mr Stefan Krolak, a survivor from Bradford , said he saw the smoke start a few seats away from him 'The smoke seemed suddenly to set on fire. Bradford City initially prospered in the Second Division only missing out on promotion to the First Division in 1988 after failing to beat Ipswich Town at home on the final day of their first full season back at Valley Parade. 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. They wouldn't let us because then people would get in the way of fire engines, ambulances and police trying to get in. Hideous images linger after carnage of 'celebration' day 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 I have never had to deal with such a situation before, and this has put the city on its heels.'. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. "It is unbelievable how quickly the fire took hold. The game was irrelevant.". Saturday began for the fans in a carnival atmosphere at Bradford 's Valley Parade ground a short walk from the city centre. ", Hendrie: "We stayed in the pub for hours. That's when everybody else had the same thought. Criticising Bradford City during the case, Mr. Michael Ogden QC, highlighted that the Club 'gave no or very little thought to fire precautions', despite repeated warnings. Last updated on 10 May 201510 May 2015.From the section Football, "People didn't die because of fires at football grounds. Bradford City FC stadium fire | 11th May 1985 | Fire Brigades Union he asks. 1.7M subscribers in the CatastrophicFailure community. They were hampered further by the fact that doors at the back of the stand were locked to try to stop people coming in without paying. Hillsborough looms the largest in our collective consciousness, but there were also the many deaths that occurred at Heysel Stadium in 1985, as well as the Bradford City stadium fire that same year. "[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. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke. 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. The stories of escapes are legion. 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. 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. Wealso use analytics cookies that don't track usersto help us improve it. People who had escaped the fire then tried to assist their fellow supporters.

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