Valley Parade Disaster - 25 Years On

[The Man In Blue]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/bradford/8673825.stm

Bradford marks Valley Parade stadium fire 25 years on

Memorial services are taking place later to mark the 25th anniversary of the fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade stadium in which 56 people died.

Hundreds of people are set to gather in the city's Centenary Square at 1100 BST for a service involving the Archbishop of York and the Bishop of Bradford.

Civic leaders from Bradford and Lincoln - the club's opponents on 11 May 1985 - will be among those at the service.

City Hall flags will fly at half mast and a one-minute silence will be held.

A short service is also planned at Bradford City's Valley Parade ground at 1500 BST.

Bradford Cathedral is then due to host a service for the victims' relatives and friends at 1930 BST.

During the day of remembrance, a new stone street marker commemorating the tragedy will be installed at the junction of Manningham Lane and Hamm Strasse, a street named after Bradford's twin city in Germany.

Burns victims

It will be unveiled by the Lord Mayor of Bradford, John Godward, and Thomas Hunsteger-Petermann, the Lord Mayor of Hamm.

In 1985, the then Lord Mayor of Hamm, Sabine Zech, was at the match while on a civic visit.

The stone will have a granite plaque bearing the date of the fire and the crests of the two cities and Bradford City football club.

The fire also left more than 200 people injured, many with serious burns.

As a result, the University of Bradford set up its Plastic Surgery and Burns Research Unit in the wake of the tragedy.

On Tuesday, the university is to launch the UK's largest academic research centre in skin sciences, bringing together in one unit expertise spanning pharmacology, biology, chemistry, biochemistry, physics, and medicine.

[john@staustell]

I remember watching it live on Grandstand after the results. No-one really gave it credit at the time it first came on, until the tragedy became apparent. Absolutely terrible.

Wooden grandstands with 100 years of rubbish underneath, locked exit gates at the back. Those tragedies we had back then - there but by the grace of God went all of us.

Deepest sympathy to all affected. Really tearful stuff.

[john@staustell]

For those too young, watch this and feel humble:

[youtube]4EpPgsR2U7s&feature=related[/youtube]

[The Man In Blue]

that is nightmarish.

wooden stands, my god.

[ant london]

It seemed like there were quite a few of those disasters in the mid-late 1980's that I watched unfold on TV as a kid

1985 Bradford City Fire - 56 dead
1985 Heysel Stadium - 39 dead
1985 Manchester Airport Runway Fire - 55 dead
1987 Herald of Free Enterprise Sinking - 193 dead
1988 Piper Alpha Explosion - 167 dead
1989 Hillsborough - 96 dead

Can remember the TV coverage of them all vividly still. Terrible stuff.

[john@staustell]

It seemed like there were quite a few of those disasters in the mid-late 1980's that I watched unfold on TV as a kid

1985 Bradford City Fire - 56 dead
1985 Heysel Stadium - 39 dead
1985 Manchester Airport Runway Fire - 55 dead
1987 Herald of Free Enterprise Sinking - 193 dead
1988 Piper Alpha Explosion - 167 dead
1989 Hillsborough - 96 dead

Can remember the TV coverage of them all vividly still. Terrible stuff.

Ibrox years before as well (when I was about 10!).

[Niall Quinns Discopants]

It seemed like there were quite a few of those disasters in the mid-late 1980's that I watched unfold on TV as a kid

1985 Bradford City Fire - 56 dead
1985 Heysel Stadium - 39 dead
1985 Manchester Airport Runway Fire - 55 dead
1987 Herald of Free Enterprise Sinking - 193 dead
1988 Piper Alpha Explosion - 167 dead
1989 Hillsborough - 96 dead

Can remember the TV coverage of them all vividly still. Terrible stuff.

1988 Lockerbie air disaster - 259 dead

That's what really hit me. I also remember both Heysel and Hillsborough quite vividly as we were watching/waiting for game to start on both occasions.

I was between 7 and 11 during all those and remember having bit of nightmares after them. They were also first cases where media around the world were really milking every detail.

[Patrick]

I remember watching those scenes outside a granada television rental shop I was horrified. A crowd slowly grew no one said a word

British TV never showed it again

[Fish111]

As a fire safety advisor & trainer i have seen the un-censored footage of the Bradford fire and it is truly shocking. A scene that sticks in my mind is of a policeman, who himself is on fire, dragging a badly burned victim away from the stand and the body being dragged behind him splitting in two without the policeman knowing about it. Really gruesome stuff.

[bluej]

From what I've read as well, the stand was due to be pulled down and rebuilt the next day.

As someone who has grown up with all seater stadiums and stringent health and safety measures in football grounds, its mindboggling to think that something like that happened just a couple of years before I was born.

[Mike J]

no matter how many times you see it, it doesnt get any less shocking. awful scenes.

[Im_Spartacus]

Someone posted the full footage last year, which showed how quickly the fire spread, giving many no chance. Very very sad scenes.

[john@staustell]

Anyone remember playing away at the Dell? Cos the away end was only about 6 deep we also had the upstairs bit of the old wooden stand to the left (as you look out to the pitch). We were crammed in there and I remember thinking we had no chance if a spark was flying about. Took about 15 minutes to get out and down the one flights of stairs (not steps) after the match.

Health and safety? No chance.

[BobbyJ1956]

Seem to remember the channel suddenly switched to it, the sports commentator had been describing the game and found himself doing a news reporter's job. I had a Bradford-born friend who I phoned and said "put the tv on NOW." Seen the footage since and what struck me was that for quite a while fans behind the goal were still singing and chanting while the stand was burning before they felt the intense heat and caught on to how bad it was. Terry Yorath Bradford's manager then has never got over it, think his daughter did a piece on it recently.

[Lees Alter Ego]

[youtube]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/43Xly-z-vBc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/43Xly-z-vBc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/youtube]

[Im_Spartacus]

[youtube]<object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/43Xly-z-vBc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/43Xly-z-vBc&hl=en_GB&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>[/youtube]

5.15 in, "he had come to watch the football"

Gets me every time that bit, because that could have happened to ANYONE in the 80s with them wooden stands. Dreadful, truly horrific - rip

[Mike J]

i wonder if the guy who was completely on fire that everyone was trying to put out, survived?

[blootoof]

i wonder if the guy who was completely on fire that everyone was trying to put out, survived?

Died a couple of days later. Always gets me how fast that fire spreads. RIP

[JonnyAsh]

I remember being at Maine Road that day, we needed to beat Charlton to get promotion, and we hammered them 5-1. There was a total celebratory atmoshphere, and then to hear of the goings on at Bradford totally changed the feeling.
it seemed very strange to feel so happy and so sad on the same day.

Does anyone else being at Maine Road that day and the news coming through on the radio about Bradford ?
I just looked around our own stands and thought in silence

Youtube City v Charlton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn8IFmiL2yg

[CITYSTEVEDON]

I remember being at Maine Road that day, we needed to beat Charlton to get promotion, and we hammered them 5-1. There was a total celebratory atmoshphere, and then to hear of the goings on at Bradford totally changed the feeling.
it seemed very strange to feel so happy and so sad on the same day.

Does anyone else being at Maine Road that day and the news coming through on the radio about Bradford ?
I just looked around our own stands and thought in silence

Youtube City v Charlton
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yn8IFmiL2yg

i was there against charlton and i didnt know about bradford until i got back home to doncaster. all we was thinking about was gaining promotion back to where we belong