8/3/2023 0 Comments Bradford city stadium fire man![]() ![]() Additionally, 27 were found dead in the area surrounding exit K and the turnstiles 6-9, with others also being crushed in that area. Among them included an elderly couple who died in their seats. In less than four minutes however, the fire had engulfed the entirety of the stand, trapping most who had yet to escape. The majority of fans were able to run out of the stands and onto the pitch as there was no fencing that could have triggered a human crush similar to the 1989 Hillsborough disaster. There were no extinguishers within the passageway because of concern over them being vandalised. Because it was windy on the day, the fire quickly spread and turned into an inferno within minutes. Attempts to extinguish it, including by pouring coffee over the small fire, failed. The fire was triggered by an Australian man who accidentally dropped a lit cigarette under the stands, which landed onto the debris below. Bradford City Stadium FireĪt the 40th-minute mark, the game was immediately called off by referee Don Shaw, when a fire broke out on Block G of the stands. This was to the displeasure of the crowd, who were seeking a satisfactory ending to Bradford's successful season. The match was described by BBC Sport as "a drab affair with neither team threatening to score", perhaps because both sides had little to play for in this match. Because of the events following the game, little attention was given surrounding the match itself, with television cameras were only situated so that the trophy presentation could be captured. Prior to kick-off, Bradford's captain Peter Jackson was given the trophy by Dick Wragg, Football League's Life President, which would be the club's first silverware in 56 years. Among changes included converting the wooden terracing to concrete, and to clear up the litter that had fallen beneath the stands, which was deemed to be a fire risk. Aside from the clear celebrations the day would bring, with 11,076 fans in its Valley Parade Stadium, Bradford were also seeking to refurbish its ground, as it had been deemed "inadequate in so many ways for modern requirements" according to the Telegraph & Argus. Meanwhile, Lincoln City had ensured that they were safe from relegation to the Fourth Division. Relatives of Bennett have confirmed many of the details of that day to the BBC but said he never told them he had dropped the cigarette that started the fire.Heading into the match, Bradford City had confirmed themselves as champions of the 1984/85 Third Division, having beaten Bolton Wanderers 2-0. And this would be weighing on his mind for the rest of his life." He'd dropped the cigarette that started the fire. ![]() The truth is, that he dropped a cigarette and he was quite unequivocal about it. Well, we know the tragic result of what happened. "The policeman very quickly started to evacuate the stand. He told them what was happening," Falconer said. "They (the two men) rushed to the back of the stand. "He said he smoked a cigarette, dropped the cigarette onto the floor in front of him, went to put his foot on it, but it had unfortunately dropped through, he said."īennett, who has since died, told officers that he tried to extinguish the fire by pouring coffee onto it but, within minutes, smoke and then flames took hold. "He said he'd been at the match, he'd been sat in the stand, right where we knew the seat of the fire had taken place," Falconer said on the 30th anniversary of the disaster. Raymond Falconer, the retired detective, told the BBC documentary that Bennett, who travelled to the English Football League fixture from Australia with his nephew, admitted he had dropped a cigarette in the area where the blaze started. The blaze ripped through the wooden structure in just a few minutes as Bradford played Lincoln, leaving many fans unable to get out.įifty-four Bradford supporters lost their lives in the fire, along with two Lincoln fans, while more than 200 people were taken to hospital. The official inquiry into the tragedy on concluded that the fire was an accident and was probably started by a spectator dropping a cigarette into rubbish that had accumulated under the old timber stand.īut a retired detective has told the BBC how officers believe it was a man visiting from Australia called Eric Bennett who accidentally started the fire, with a decision taken at the time not to release his name. Arsenal and Chelsea stand for a minute's silence in commemoration of the 1985 Bradford City stadium fire before the Premier League match at Emirates Stadium in London on April 26, 2015 ![]()
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