30th anniversary of the Bradford City fire - 11th May 2015

[peekaygee73]

Today's the 30th anniversary of the fire at Bradford City. It was meant to be a day of celebration as we'd just secured promotion to the old division 2 as champions. Celebration turned to tragedy and on that day 54 Bradford City fans and 2 Lincoln fans who went to watch a football match never returned home. Several hundred fans were badly burnt.

The Popplewell inquiry determined that a lit cigarette had been dropped in the stand and made its way underneath. The accumulation of rubbish below the stand caught fire and within minutes it was ablaze. Tragically the stand was due to be pulled down the next day to make way for a new stand. The inquiry made a number of recommendations, including that no further wooden-framed stands be built at stadiums in the UK.

There's a programme on BT Sport tonight at 9:30pm about the fire, and I'm informed that it'll be free-to-air. The BBC are also showing a programme tomorrow. I'd urge anyone who's a football fan or doesn't know much about the fire to watch it.

 

[weasel]

No one deserves to die like that, especially not when they only went to watch a football match.
Horrible horrible thing to happen.

 

[db94]

The video footage is still required viewing at the Fire Service College to observe how the people reacted during the various stages of the fire.
Those that do watch it normally sit in stunned silence, terrible terrible day.

 

[peekaygee73]

We had to watch it as part of H&S training at work. I knew what was coming, but my colleagues were stunned and they spent the next 10-15 minutes asking me questions about the fire. The book '4 minutes to Hell' by Paul Firth is essential reading. There's also a new book which was serialised in the Daily Fail earlier this year but that sounds more sensationalist.

I was nearly there that day but didn't go. The schoolmate I would've gone with survived, as did he Dad, but two others from our school didn't. I remember vividly watching it unfold on 'World of Sport', and hearing the rumours the next day about the two lads not making it.

 

[spoons]

Missed the show but I remember this well from back in the day, the news footage of a guy trying to escape across the roof of the terrace and falling through really hit me as a kid.

Terrible way to go

I saw a recent news piece that said the owner had money troubles and several of his ventures had suffered fires over the years. Do you think it was an insurance job?

 

[peekaygee73]

Missed the show but I remember this well from back in the day, the news footage of a guy trying to escape across the roof of the terrace and falling through really hit me as a kid.

Terrible way to go

There were some truly awful scenes, which is one of the reasons Yorkshire TV keep a firm hold of the footage and (save for the fire training) don't allow it to be used for pretty much anything. Inevitably though it's found its way onto youtube.

I saw a recent news piece that said the owner had money troubles and several of his ventures had suffered fires over the years. Do you think it was an insurance job?

That's all come about from a book that's been released by the son of one of the victims. I can't comment on the fires at the then-chairman's previous businesses, but there's no chance this was an insurance job. The stand was being pulled down the next day so it had no financial value whatsoever, and there's no way that if it were an insurance job it would be done in the middle of a football match.

I think one of the reasons this has come about is because the people of Bradford haven't ever looked for someone to blame for the tragedy, it's generally been accepted as a terrible series of events leading up to the loss of 56 lives. People have generally grieved and commemorated it in their own private way.

If anyone's interested there's a fantastic book called 'Four minutes to hell' by Paul Firth which gives an account of events leading up to the day, the day itself and afterwards, including talking to those who were present on the day and dealt with the aftermath.

 

[spoons]

Just seen a piece on Look North that debunked the insurance job too. Might give the book a read - cheers

 

[peekaygee73]

Just seen a piece on Look North that debunked the insurance job too. Might give the book a read - cheers

Most people don't seem to think there's any substance to it. I realise the author lost his Dad in the fire but the timing of his book is awful.

Just to clarify; 'Four minutes from hell' has been around a while but is an excellent read. I can't remember the title of the new book, but I won't be reading it.

And for those in the UK who didn't see it 'One day in May' is available on the BT Sport website:

https://sport.bt.com/one-day-in-may-the-story-of-the-bradford-city-fire-91363980609335#.VVJRNyijVHc.facebook