36 years ago since the Bradford fire

Still heart breaking after all these years.
https://www.bradfordcityafc.com/new...orial-service-to-be-held-online-this-morning/

 

Weren't there some dodgy insurance questions raised about this and the owner's culpability?

 

I remember watching that on YTV and couldn't believe how devastating it was. Incredible how far football stadia have come along in the space of those 30+ years.

 

There were, yes. But I don't know how accurate they were.

 

They found out who started it by accident - it was a guy from oz or nz who had come on holiday and went to the game and he dropped a cig butt to stamp out but it went thru a crack and under the stand - tried putting out with coffee but it ignited rubbish under the stand.

 

Bradford City FC stadium fire

Bradford City FC stadium fire
Firefighting history: May 11, 1985


After Hillsborough, the Bradford City FC stadium fire was the second worst sporting tragedy in England, leaving 56 dead and at least 265 injured.

The fire started five minutes before half-time during the match on 11 May between Bradford and Lincoln City. It was later established that the blaze was caused by a fan who went to put his cigarette out but dropped it between the floorboards onto a pile of rubbish that had been building up below.

Owing to windy conditions, less than four minutes later the entire wooden stand was engulfed in smoke and fire. Radiated heat from the burning roof of the stand set fire to the clothing of fans trapped underneath. People ran onto the pitch with their clothes on fire while others were trapped at the back of the stand where they had gone to try to escape through the turnstiles. By the time the fire brigade arrived they were faced with huge flames and dense smoke.

An inquiry launched in the aftermath of the disaster led to legislation to improve safety at football grounds. This included the banning of new wooden grandstands at all sports venues in the UK. All existing grandstands deemed fire risks were faced with immediate closure. Cigarette smoking was also banned at all grounds with wooden stands. The inquiry had found that the club had been warned that the accumulation of rubbish beneath the stands was a fire risk.

It transpired that the wooden stand had already been condemned and was set to be demolished just two days after the tragedy. 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.

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. The local council was deemed to be one third responsible.

 

In the days before social media, rumours were long rife in the City that it was an insurance job. Whenever there was a big fire in Bradford, usually a mill fire, the 'comical' quip back in the day was "it'll be another one of Staffords mills" ..... (Stafford Heginbotham). He's no longer here to defend the claim, so Bradford folk live with the disaster with dignity and seldom get involved in the conspiracy stuff.

I've wrote about my experiences of the day many times in the past, so I won't dredge up again today, but a sad side-note of the above, in my late 40's I made a cricketing comeback for Baildon, a local team. Only the 4th team which was more of a social thing. My captain was a fella called Simon. He took his own life in my last season, about 3 years ago. I only found out after he was Stafford's son.

RIP the 56, as always.

 

The guys family disputed that claim, and again, he is no longer around to confirm or deny.

 

Heart breaking indeed mate. I can't imagine going to a football match and having people lose their lives. It doesn't bear thinking about

 

Still can't believe how quickly that fire spread, even given the perfect conditions. When it first starts out, it's almost comical in nature and then it turns into the Towering Inferno within a couple of minutes.

Horrible. As ever, RIP to those involved.

 

Was at Oxford that day, remember getting home & seeing it on the telly, truly awful.

 

It's my birthday today so it's an anniversary I'll never forget.
I was in the middle of having my party at the time and remember it flashed up on the tv.
RIP

 

Terrible memories of that afternoon.

 

I asked the manager. ( NCB Fence workshops Sheffield) If I could go round the workforce. The day we were back after the fire. If I could go round with the hat. For the disaster fund. I collected over £200 in that one day. ( probably £600 in todays money) A mixture of all south yorkshire clubs fans.
I reckon the football family got together that day for the better good so to speak. As it was dear to everyone's hearts.
.

 

I was on the Cookoo Lane end. I remember it being a blustery day which had a bad effect on our strikers ability to score, unfortunately it did not have the same impact on Oxford.

As I have probably said before part of the site is now a private hospital. Called The Manor Hospital.

 

Remember watching it live on telly. It initially seemed minor, then the fire grew horrifically & the full tragedy was soon apparent. It happened so close in time to Heissell (excuse the spelling) & the Kings Cross fire. Then Hilsborough. Awful events, within 4-5 years.
Neil Redfearn was playing for Lincoln, that afternoon..

 

3-0 down after 20 mins if I recall. Aldridge unplayable. As were most of the others.

 

And SJ Hendrie for City.

 

Don Goodman too, just looked it up.

 

I too at Manor Ground, totally oblivious. Spent the evening in Oxford, totally oblivious. Travelled to Leicester on Sunday morning to watch Yorkshire in John Player Trophy, incredibly still oblivious. Overheard conversations at Grace Road but paid little attention.

Got home 10ish that evening put on news and could not believe what my ears and eyes were informing me of. No mobiles or social media then and we had not listened to radio news in all that time. I was devastated, can still hear the agony in John Helm's voice as he reported the disaster.