However, the celebratory mood soon turned into one of shock and horror when, at around 3:40 pm, the main stand at Valley Parade became engulfed by flames which reduced the entire wooden structure to cinders. The city has seemed to want it to remain the forgotten disaster, though for many, the sense of what-might-have-been is too acute to want to block out the past. 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 is the kind of understated remembrance we have seen in Bradford these past few months, at the onset of another significant anniversary of the 1985 fire which tore across the local football club's old wooden main stand, reducing it to a collapsing inferno in a mere four minutes and claiming 56 lives. 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. That stand went up so quick youd think it was made of petrol. But it is Bradford, so they are just lying there, dormant, on the file, along with the question of the nine Heginbotham fires. Forest Green new stadium going to be made out of wood. Most of the fans who took this escape route were killed or seriously injured. "Sometimes, it's more of a social thing than a football thing. The disaster led to rigid new safety standards in UK stadiums, including the banning of new wooden grandstands. One retired mill worker made his way to the pitch, but was walking about on fire from head to foot. Never seen the death roll that's horrendous the Ormondroyd family looks like Father and . Two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gate open. talk all about the game and how big this win is for Ten Hag's men. by Imploding Turtle Fri May 11, 2018 8:35 am, Post Most of the exits at the back were locked or shut and there were no stewards present to open them, but seven were forced open or found open. 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). The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused. On the pitch, referee Norman Glover had no option but to stop the game as the horror unfolded in front of both sets of players who could feel the heat from the flames even from the other side of the ground. All that was left of the. I go to the football with my two children (both adults now) and have done for many,many years. Ernest Normington (74) Start your Independent Premium subscription today. A massive fire broke out at a factory in Bradford this morning 11 Footage shows flames erupting from the factory 11 The blaze broke out in the early hours of this morning Credit: Ben. As the blaze spread, the wooden stands and roofcovered with layers of highly flammable bituminous roofing feltquickly went ablaze. Ive alway respected the quiet and dignified way that the Tragedy has been marked by the Club, the Fans(of both Bradford and Lincoln), and by Bradfordians in general. No follow up question. ', 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. Thank you for telling this," said the woman, who was perhaps 60 or so, to one of the young people whose stage play, based on football's Bradford disaster, had just concluded on the small theatre space behind her. 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. The 1985 inquiry into the tragedy headed by Sir Oliver Popplewell concluded that it was an accident, probably started by a spectator dropping a cigarette into rubbish that had accumulated under an old timber stand. Police present in the vicinity of seats I142 and J142, where the fire was adjudged to have first taken hold, noticed it. Bradford City Community Foundation is the community charity of Bradford City Football Club. 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. Men, women and children all helped. 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. "That made me angry: that people don't know about this.". Elizabeth Muhl (21) A facility that holds and maintains Kearsarge Regional School District buses exploded into flames Thursday morning trapping two people inside. It was appalling that public money was given to the club while it was still owned by the same shareholders under whose direction the fire had happened. The play reflects that it had been "the Yorkshire way" not to make a fuss, to bear a loss and move on. That duty was not a duty to the Club but a duty to the spectators and other persons in the stand. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 8:54 am, Post [47] Scriptwriters of the play spent hours with the survivors and victims families. Thats when everybody else had the same thought. Picture date: Thursday August 25, 2022. [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. Jane Ashley Stockman (16) As Bantams Community Manager, Ian hopes it will reveal what people living around the ground really think. One day I went to a football match with my family and the next day, I woke up and didnt have a father, a brother, or a grandfather or an uncle, he would later say. Craig Albert Stockman (14) When Bradford City played Lincoln City at Valley Parade on May 11th, 1985, what should have been an afternoon of celebration quickly turned into one of the worst disasters ever seen at a British football ground. The Valley Parade stadium, long-established home to Bradford City Football Club, had been noted for its antiquated design . The father whose attempts to make him a Bradford City fan he mischievously tried to resist, especially after the family's relocation to the detached surrounds of East Bridgford in Nottinghamshire turned the boy into a Nottingham Forest fan. It will stay in my memory for ever. Lincoln City supporter Chris Ashton shared his experience of the disaster in an interview with the Lincolnshire Echo, saying: I remember it being just before half-time and out of the corner of my eye I became conscious of the smoke coming from a section of the stand opposite. BBC West Yorkshire: Bradford City He returned to Bradford City as football in the community officer, and also works as a commentator and match day summariser for Bradford City games with Pulse Radio. "We did not know the fullness of what was happening but we could see some of them were struggling just to walk and to see," says Iqbal Qasim, one of those who helped. This is according to the current Zoopla estimates. It's an incredible video, seen it numerous times, but as you say never gets less shocking. Firefighters from across West Yorkshire tackle huge blaze A large fire involving thousands of scrap tyres has forced schools to close and caused traffic disruption in Bradford. 24 Bradford City A.F.C. by tiger76 Fri May 11, 2018 11:31 pm, Post Police have revealed the identity of the man who they believe was responsible for . [2] By 1911, his work was completed. by bfcjg Fri May 11, 2018 12:56 pm, Post He survived but clearly his life was also shattered on that day. by Maja Fri May 11, 2018 8:45 am, Post Coach Terry Yorath described the events as "the worst day in my life. [4] Football ground writer Simon Inglis had described the view from the stand as "like watching football from the cockpit of a Sopwith Camel" because of its antiquated supports and struts. 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. Led by former Leeds United and 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. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. These adverts enable local businesses to get in front of their target audience the local community. [1] When the association football club was formed, the ground was changed very little and had no covered accommodation. 05/12/15 AT 9:58 AM BST. The footage never gets any less shocking. Or for a full-blown 91-day inquiry like the one which investigated the 1987 fire at London's King's Cross St Pancras Tube station, though Bradford claimed twice as many lives. Gregg Ormondroyd has denied sleeping with his sick wife's carer. As you said, Herts. Fire crews from . The aim is to preserve these memories for posterity as part of the club's museum at Valley Parade, together with a DVD, podcasts and more. The referee blew his whistle to stop the game and told us to get back to the dressing room, recalled City midfielder John Hendrie some years later. Even the received wisdom is enough to make you rage against football's breathtaking complacency: the same complacency which would turn the terrace at Hillsborough into a killing ground, four years later. Our mission is to provide a safe, fun and inclusive environment to inspire, educate and enable the people of Bradford to achieve their goals to their fullest potential. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Gerald Ormondroyd (201296072)? [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. 56 fans died as a fire broke out at the game at Valley Parade, 54 Bradford supporters and two from opponents Lincoln City. As he received the injured at Bradford Royal Infirmary he was able to call upon 10% of the UK's population of plastic surgeons. He later said: "I have never known anything like it, either before, or since. on: May 11, 2012, 10:28:10 am . Jane Sampson (18) Supporters searched for fire extinguishers while the Police began to evacuate the stand withflames soon spreading to the roof and across the wooden steps as timber and other materials began to fall onto the crowd. Ian Ormondroyd CEO at Bradford City FC Community Foundation Bradford Bradford City FC Community Foundation David ORMONDROYD Account Executive at Planet Ottawa, ON Planet, +4 more Carleton. It is important that we continue to promote these adverts as our local businesses need as much support as possible during these challenging times. Registered in England & Wales | 01676637 |. I saw the footage of the disaster as part of a fire training session and at the time it had been taken off any websites etc. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. They are performed once every 10 years. [citation needed] Mathew Wildman, aged 17 at the time of the fire, commented that "I must have had five different experiments carried out on me with all sorts of new techniques for skin grafts and I had potions injected into me that helped my face repair naturally over time. Bradford Township Volunteer Fire Department is raffling off a brand new truck to raise money to buy two brand new fire trucks. A former Bradford City player is asking for people's memories of the club's past - both good and bad. 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 stadium was known for its antiquated design and facilities, which included the wooden roof of the main stand. He is quoted as saying: "I don't believe the statement of retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer at all. RM 2F7YJ1C - Eccles, UK. The stand had already been condemned, and the demolition teams were due to start work two days later. Some repair work was carried out, but in July 1984 the club was warned again, this time by a county council engineer, because of the club's plans to claim for ground improvements from the Football Trust. The stand became an inferno in about 5 minutes. "What kind of 'mechanism'?" Bradford City players, staff and fans gathered today to remember the victims of the Valley Parade fire, which took place exactly 31 years ago. inaccuracy or intrusion, then please My mum said at the time of the Hillsborough Disaster, when it all came home to me, you're angry and the hate is eating you inside out.". [13], The match kicked off at 3:04pm and after forty minutes of the first half, the score remained 00,[14] in what was described as a drab affair with neither team threatening to score. Samuel Firth (86) There were a lot of wooden stands in those days, PNE Bury to name but two. "We're trying to find out why a lot of the Asian communities don't come to the ground, whether they feel they can't come to the games because they feel intimidated or whatever.". Those lucky enough to escape, including players from both sides, took refuge in a pub across the road from the ground as friends and family members desperately tried to find their loved ones in the chaos. Applying this 18.457% change to the original purchase price of 48,000 results in an estimated price of approximately 56,859. Club coach Terry Yorath incurred minor injuries while taking part in the rescue. 10th Apr, 2021. by tim_noone Fri May 11, 2018 11:37 pm, Powered by phpBB Forum Software phpBB Limited, This Forum is the main messageboard to discuss all things Claret and Blue and beyond. Topic: 25 years ago today, the Bradford City disaster. Obviously never come to terms with what he saw, and that's 30 years on. It is a simple account laid out for all to see. Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. 18+. by tim_noone Thu May 10, 2018 11:42 pm, Post Footage never fails to shock me. Then, in the space of 120-odd seconds, it really kicked in. [12] The work was expected to cost 400,000 (1.3million today). Obviously helps cigarettes banned from football grounds now as IIRC a discarded butt caused the Bradford fire. [48] Profits from the play's run at The Edinburgh Fringe were donated to the Bradford Burns Unit. Performance Analyst: Scott Dyer. by ClaretDiver Fri May 11, 2018 6:49 am, Post The deaths were preventable . Those are the words of David Pendleton, a survivor of the Bradford City fire disaster, which happened 30 years ago. RF 2J1GRGW - Liam Byrne #20 of Wigan Warriors looks for a way past Jack Ormondroyd #19 of Salford Red Devils. RIP. Alexander Shaw Baines (70) ";s:4:"text";s:3462:" Visit us for exclusive Galen Center Special Events throughout the year! 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