56 football fans went to watch a match at the Valley Parade football Ground this day 27 years ago, and didn't come back. Fire crews from . It was on the 10th anniversary of the fire, 20 years ago, that Mrs Greenwood set up a fund, in the memory of her sons, offering the chance for young people in this place to take a journey of educational or cultural travel as she would have wanted her own two to do. The blaze, in the East Bowling area of the city, began at about 04:30 GMT. Valley Parade during the early 1990s, after it had been redeveloped following the fire. The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football. [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. Eric Hudson (72) by tim_noone Thu May 10, 2018 11:53 pm, Post [22], Immediately after the fire, Sharpe planned and treated the injuries of over 200 individuals, with many experimental treatments being used. For the 30th anniversary of the fire a new version of "You'll Never Walk Alone" was recorded at Voltage Studios in Bradford. #RIP56 pic.twitter.com/w2OyUxT5as, Never forgotten #rip56 #bcafc ? 56 fans died as a fire broke out at the game at Valley Parade, 54 Bradford supporters and two from opponents Lincoln City. JONES Elizabeth (Betty) On 6th February 2023 Betty passed away peacefully at Vida Hall Nursing. Martin Fletcher, a survivor who lost 3 family members is convinced of it. Some had been crushed as they tried to crawl under turnstiles to escape while a man who was captured on television running across the pitch on fire later died in hospital of his injuries. As Ian puts it: "Bradford's been on a big rollercoaster over the past ten years and previously. ANDERTON, Edmund, 68, Bingley Their initial aim at that time was to promote BCFC in the community by increasing the fan base and awareness of the Club. Anne Robinson (pictured with Mr Ormondroyd) moved into the family home near Bradford, West Yorkshire, to care for his wife Donna. talk all about the game and how big this win is for Ten Hag's men. So many youngsters died..very very sad. 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 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. Bradford City players, staff and fans gathered today to remember the victims of the Valley Parade fire, which took place exactly 31 years ago. There actually used to be an old saying in Bradford: "If you see smoke go up in Bradford after 6pm, that'll be one of Stafford's." William Stacey (72) 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. David James Crabtree (30) [56], On 17 April 2015, retired Detective Inspector Raymond Falconer, in a report by the Bradford Telegraph and Argus, said the police were aware of an Australian man who admitted to starting the fire. The average price for property in BD6 1HR stood at 71,472 in July 2018. Gregg Ormondroyd has denied sleeping with his sick wife's carer. The fact is that no one person was concerned with the safety of the premises. No one gave it the attention it ought to have received.. .. Horrific way to die and as ststed some of the most harrowing scenes ever witnessed. Fans in the next stand (the "Bradford End") pulled down the fence separating them from the pitch. 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. BBC West Yorkshire: Sport. This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 13:41. Tributes have been pouring in from all corners of the footballing world as today marks 31 years since the Bradford City fire disaster. These 2 users liked this post: Clarets4me Juan Tanamera. Scott Richard Advertisement The fire broke out around 10:30 a.m. at the site. There were 49 of us who travelled to Bradford on that day and just 47 came home. He established that there had been eight other fires at businesses owned by or associated with the entrepreneur, who > died in 1995, aged 61. 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. Alexander Shaw Baines (70) The list of victims reveals the impact the disaster had on families as fathers, sons, mothers, daughters, husbands and wives went to a football game that day never to come home again. The fire of 1985 will also certainly figure highly in Bantamspast, says Ian: "A chap rang me up about a week ago and he used to live on Cornwall Terrace, just at the back of the ground. Felix Winspear Greenwood (13) 28 years today; the Bradford City fire disaster. The scriptwriters' hours of interviews with those caught up in the horror are distilled into the narratives of three survivors, and the casual horrors of what befell football supporters that day are all in there. He remembers people coming out of the ground and going into his house and phoning people. The names of the 56 victims of the Valley Parade Fire Disaster - 11 May 1985 . Football architect Archibald Leitch was commissioned to carry out the work. But it was too late for the 56 fans that went to a football match and never returned who are still remembered, not just by those in Bradford and Lincoln, but by football fans throughout the country. In March 1985 the club's plans became more apparent when it took delivery of steel for a new roof. Still one of the two or three most haunting videos I've ever seen. We didnt know at this point if anyone had been killed. 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. More than 250 others were injured in one of the. [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. Otherwise, I would not have been able to get out. The fire was merciless and took victims as young as 11 and as old as 86. Yes it is I try to leave a scarf and floral tribute on behalf of Burnley fans.and will do so tomorrow. And there are also repeated references to the smell of burning plastic. Andrew Fletcher (11) The information on housing, people, culture, employment and education that is displayed about Ormondroyd Avenue, Bradford, BD6 1HR is based on the last census performed in the UK in 2011. There are . Many were burnt to death at the turnstiles gates, which had also been locked after the match had begun. 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. Spare a thought or prayer for them today. I was at a Scout camp at Bowley, we were listening to it on the radio in our tent..such a terrible tragedy. 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. This biographical article related to association football in England, about a forward born in the 1960s, is a stub. Some of those who died were still sitting upright in their seats, covered by remnants of tarpaulin that had fallen from the roof. Whether they don't feel welcome, for instance. However, as there was no real precedent, most Bradfordians accepted that the fire was a terrible piece of misfortune. by tim_noone Thu May 10, 2018 11:42 pm, Post [16] Messages of condolence were also received from Helmut Kohl, Chedli Klibi and Felipe Gonzlez. CONTRA COSTA COUNTY, Calif. -- A brush fire burning Monday morning on the peat wetlands of Bradford Island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta has charred 212 acres and prompted some . "Take care if you are in the area and allow space for the crews . 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. When cross examined by QC Robert Smith, then Chairman Stafford Heginbotham said he knew about the fire risk at the ground. The playing area and stands were very basic but the ground had enough room for 18,000spectators. "[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]. The local Bradford Telegraph and Argus has found many voices to challenge his testimony, too. [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. The speed at which fire engulfs the entire stand is insane. For the book, we are looking to hear from people who were there but were children at the time, but could tell us their story.. As part of Bantamspast, Ian's actually hoping to dig a little deeper to find out just why some people choose to actively avoid Valley Parade completely on matchdays: "Perhaps we'll find out why they don't come. As CT mentioned earlier it is seeing the names of family groups who perished that day,having just probably set off as normal from home around lunch time for not just the game but the joy and excitement of a promotion party, that really gets to me. Down there in the blackness lay tissues of debris which were testament to the ramshackle stadium's neglect. 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. by Pad1951 Fri May 11, 2018 9:15 am, Post Rush Gaming Limited, Level 3, 203, BMW Building, Rue DArgens, Gzira GZR 1368, Malta. Apologies if this has been posted elsewhere. 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. She told the schoolchildren how she had travelled widely in the years after her husband and sons had gone, how that helped sustain her, and how they must think to travel and discover the world too. I remember watching it unfold on tv, it was heartbreaking. I've never seen anything like it. Obviously never come to terms with what he saw, and that's 30 years on. Never seen the death roll that's horrendous the Ormondroyd family looks like Father and his two twins. [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. by bfcmik Fri May 11, 2018 11:05 am, Post "I think if we go out there and ask local people who've been in a house for 24 or 25 years, a lot of their memories will be about that. Thats when I thought this is time to get out of here. That was the open and shut case, the inquiry into the disaster chaired by Sir Oliver Popplewell, a High Court judge, concluded. As a subscriber, you are shown 80% less display advertising when reading our articles. Kit Manager: Dom Lister. His son, Jack, plays rugby league for the Salford Red Devils in the Super League.[5][6][7]. Never seen the death roll that's horrendous the Ormondroyd family looks like Father and . Forest Green new stadium going to be made out of wood. Previous warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter in the cavity below the seats in the stand. (2015), 2003 Football League Third Division play-off final, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Bradford_City_stadium_fire&oldid=1141323458, Fire disasters involving barricaded escape routes, Pages containing London Gazette template with parameter supp set to y, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2010, Articles with unsourced statements from October 2021, Articles needing additional references from May 2018, All articles needing additional references, Articles needing additional references from December 2018, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, Fan attempted to extinguish a lit cigarette, it slipped through floorboards and fell on rubbish, igniting it. "When I read the Popplewell transcripts I could see they were processing 10-15 witnesses a day. Even if you're in a small town, it's the main focal point," says Ian Ormondroyd. Richard John Ormondroyd (12) Nigel Adams who worked for 12 years as a fire investigator with a British fire service was spurred on by the book to join the call for a fresh inquiry, stating that Fletcher's book was "one of the best accounts of a fire, as seen from a victim's point of view, and as a piece of investigative writing, I have ever read". "But I'd never heard of the Bradford disaster until I auditioned for this," she says. Tickets are $20 each, and all proceeds will go toward funding the purchase of two new twin custom KME fire trucks for the department.. In terms of property types, flats in Ormondroyd Avenue sold for an average of 43,868 and terraced houses for 78,013. "[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. 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