1985 Bradford City Stadium fire

[Alpha]

In 1985, a normal game of football ended in a fatal disaster. 56 people who went to the Valley Parade stadium to see their team - Bradford City - play against Lincoln City died when a fire in the stands got out of control in quick time.
A row of seats in the stand began to burn after a match spectator threw away a lit ciggarette they had been smoking, it fell threw the seats and onto rubbish that had been building up for weeks...or perhaps even months.
This started a burn of rubbish, then onto the seats, it quickly got out of hand...and the rest as we say is history.

Read about the background and aftermath of the Bradford fire

Apparently weeks before the doomed match, Fire chiefs visited the stadium and told the workers to clean up the rubbish. The rubbish was never cleaned up.


Here is a clip of the disaster: If you are of a nervous disposition, fear fire or find this video offensive or disgusting in any way, please don't view it.

Bradford City - Fire

I have only viewed this video just the once and i dare not view it again. It's just awfully scary how the fire just spreads so quickly.

[Earl]

I'll always remember seeing the policeman with his hair on fire. Must admit that raised a few laughs.

[Alpha]

When i watched it didn't notice it. All i saw was a guy in a brown coat with white smoke coming off him, and then later there was a guy pulled from the stand who was on fire. Apparently he died.

[Ck]

I can't believe it went up so fast

That was back in the days when all good footballers had moustaches!

[timey]

I remember it well. It was just after Heysel and there was a lot of gloom about. I remember being horrified later that as I had watched it earlier, people were dying.

[Earl]

Don't forget Hillsborough. Supporting a football team in the 80s was an extreme sport. That's before we get on to hooliganism!

[FreeBBC]

[Alpha]

What are you laughing for?

[Unregistered]

The rubbish that caught fire had actually been there for alot longer than months. When the fire inspectors had been there, they actually found a 1965 issue of the Bradford Argos, which was the local newspaper at the time.
20 years of rubbish, and it took 4 minutes to destroy everything.

[Alpha]

What the hell? that's even worse.