Hi everyone, this is my first write-up here. There has been one previous write-up on the Bradford City stadium fire, but it was posted four years ago, so I hope you’ll forgive a re-visit. I have a bit of a morbid interest in stadium disasters – I have a very vivid memory of watching the Hillsborough disaster live on TV at the age of 8. For various reasons, Hillsborough is still very much in the public consciousness in the UK, whereas the Valley Parade fire is less so – perhaps because, while horrific, it was long assumed to be accidental in cause. It also happened only days before, and was perhaps overshadowed by, the Heysel disaster, in which 39 people were killed in a crush at Heysel stadium in Belgium during a match between Liverpool and Juventus.
Background
Valley Parade stadium is home to Bradford City football club, based in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and has been since 1903, though the stadium itself was originally built in 1886. The ground was redeveloped in 1908 when Bradford City were promoted to the First Division, and the main stand remained basically unchanged right up until the fire in 1985. The stand was built up against the side of a hill, all its entrances were through corridors to the rear, and its roof and terracing were made of wood. There were gaps between the seats and a cavity below, resulting in a significant build-up of litter piling up beneath the stand.
A health and safety official had advised the club to clear the litter as far back as 1980, but nothing had been done. In 1981, the same official expressed concerns about how easy it would be to evacuate the stand in the event of a fire. County council fire authorities had twice met to discuss safety concerns at Valley Parade and classified the fire risk as “substantial”. In 1984, after wood started falling from the roof during a match, the club committed to rebuilding the roof with the help of a grant from a body called the Football Grounds Improvement Trust. The structural engineer who visited the grounds to assess the grant again advised that the timber stand with its build up of litter was a significant fire hazard. By the day of the fire in May 1985, the club had taken delivery of new materials to replace the roof, but no work had begun.
The Fire
The fateful day happened on 11th May 1985, during a match between home team Bradford City and visitors Lincoln City. The match was broadcast live
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So Mansueto had expressed the idea of building a new Fire stadium in the city is not feasible in the near future because available land that is big enough for parking lots and stadium that is close to downtown and near CTA train stations is not available.
The two areas where it would have worked were:
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South of Roosevelt and west of Clark St. Currently, a new mega development is currently underway. https://blockclubchicago.org/2020/03/24/construction-of-chicagos-new-neighborhood-the-78-pushes-through-pandemic/
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Vacant Michael Reese Hospital site. Bronzeville Lakefront development got that huge empty land approved. https://blockclubchicago.org/2021/08/03/bronzeville-lakefront-heres-whats-coming-in-the-mega-developments-first-phase
There was an article in 2019 published about potential stadiums in the city for the Fire, but honestly, the suggestions are not ideal and not aligned with Mansueto's desire to be near downtown, near CTA stations, and land big enough for both parking lots and stadium. https://medium.com/@eelewis7/potential-stadium-locations-in-the-city-for-the-chicago-fire-a0bb5ae7047
On 11 May 1985, fire broke out in the main stand of Bradford City FC's Valley Parade stadium during a match against Lincoln City FC. 56 people were killed and over 265 were injured.
A public inquiry held three weeks after the fire, chaired by High Court judge Oliver Popplewell, concluded that the fire was probably started by a match, cigarette, or pipe tobacco falling through the floorboards into accumulated litter.
In 2015 Martin Fletcher, who lost three members of his family in the fire, published his book Fifty-Six: The Story of the Bradford Fire. The book claims that in the 18 years before the fire, at least eight other fires had occurred at business premises owned by, or connected to, the Bradford FC chairman Stafford Heginbotham. The book also claims that at the time of the Valley Parade fire Heginbotham was in financial trouble, and had just learned that it would cost £2m to bring the stadium up to the required safety standards.
Oliver Popplewell has described the idea of arson in this case as "nonsense", but called for further investigation. No new inquiry has yet been opened.
Extract from Martin Fletcher's book published in The Guardian newspaper
I'm not really sure what to think about this. The number of fires at Heginbotham's businesses seems suspicious, but why commit the arson on the stadium when it was full, rather than when it was empty? There's also a comment from a former fire investigator that fire investigation was in its infancy in the 1980s, but I don't know enough to comment on that.
What do people here think about these claims?
Did the other disasters also lead to a major public enquiry like what was seen with Hillsborough?
https://youtu.be/5x8BCcUjJ4w
The Bradford City stadium fire was the worst fire disaster in the history of football. It occurred during a league match, on Saturday, 11 May 1985, killing 56 and injuring at least 265.
The Valley Parade stadium, long-established home to Bradford City Football Club, had been noted for its antiquated design and facilities, including the wooden roof of the main stand. Warnings had also been given about a major build-up of litter just below the seats. The stand had been officially condemned and was due for demolition.
The match against Lincoln City had started in a celebratory atmosphere, with the home-team receiving the Football League Third Division trophy. At 3.40 pm, a small fire was reported by TV commentator John Helm, but in less than four minutes, in windy conditions, it had engulfed the whole stand, trapping some people in their seats. In the panic that ensued, fleeing crowds had to break down locked exits to escape, and many were burnt to death at the turnstiles, which were also locked. There were many cases of heroism, with more than fifty people receiving police awards or commendations.
The disaster led to new safety standards in UK football grounds, including the banning of new wooden grandstands.
