Bradford City fire disaster

[lucas]

I remember reading before that litter had built up over the years under the stand. People discarding newspapers, sweet wrappers etc. A discarded cigarette fell through the stand onto the litter and the whole thing went up.

[Fernandinho]

Horrible horrible stuff

watching the video I was just hoping for the fire to be put out and for everyone to live.

YNWA. RIP.

[spud_gun]

I remember reading before that litter had built up over the years under the stand. People discarding newspapers, sweet wrappers etc. A discarded cigarette fell through the stand onto the litter and the whole thing went up.

Exactly the same way in which the fire at Kings Cross underground station started.

[Harv]

Jesus, thats a belter of a fire.

Wasn't expecting to see footage of someone ablaze though. Pretty horrific stuff.

RIP

[danperkins]

Shocking footage

[CJ]

the speed of the fire that is shocking.

for all the criticism of soulless modern stadia we are on the whole better for it.

[Norbs]

Jesus, thats a belter of a fire.

Wasn't expecting to see footage of someone ablaze though. Pretty horrific stuff.

RIP

Pretty sure he gets up after they put the flames out.

Really horrific, I remember it well. RIP to all those that lost their lives

[Paul.S]

Exactly the same way in which the fire at Kings Cross underground station started.

That was also grease & lint too. Wooden escalator didn't help either.

[BrooklynRed]

I found that footage on Wikileaks a couple of years ago... was unbelievable to have seen it; I guess it had been banned in the UK since the time...

Wikileaks footage

from that site:

This footage was taken by Yorkshire Television of a Division 4 (now defunct) football match between Bradford City and Lincoln City on May 11, 1985. A fire broke out in the stands in the middle of the match, destroying a full section of the stadium and killing 56 and injuring over 450 people as it quickly spread out of control. The footage cuts off when the order is given to stop filming due to the extreme safety concern.

The footage was suppressed by Yorkshire Television and was used to train firefighters about flash fires. It is also used to shown as part of training for football stewards at several British grounds.

The stadium had many problems that made the fire worse. Massive amounts of trash had been allowed to accumulate under the wooden stands. Exits had been locked to prevent people from sneaking in without paying. Lawsuits were filed as a result. For more information, see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradford_City_stadium_fire

It has been leaked previously on various sites, but Yorkshire Television is quick to attempt to silence and suppress the footage via legal threats.

The footage is being leaked for various reasons.

1. Information of historic value should be free to the public, even if it is tragic, so we may learn from our mistakes and never forget what happened.

2. The footage is actively being suppressed, despite its age and value. Youtube refuses to host it, and Yorkshire Television actively attempts to shut down anyone hosting it.

3. The footage is not replaceable with any other similar source. This is the only known record of the event that exists.

4. To respect those who perished, we must never forget what they went through. This is very emotional footage, and serves as a learning tool.

[ChesterDave]

32 years ago today

[Big Dave]

For all of the joy that it can bring, there's been some truely terrible things happened in football

[Buzzo]

And all may not be as it seems with the tragedy. A good article on the story behind the fire here.

[ChesterDave]

I remember seeing that article in more recent years so was surprised when I searched for the thread last post was 5 years ago. I guess it might by in General or even in the Hillsborough thread.

[Buzzo]

I remember seeing that article in more recent years so was surprised when I searched for the thread last post was 5 years ago. I guess it might by in General or even in the Hillsborough thread.

It was in the general Football thread.

Its a scandal that didn't manage to achieve the coverage that the Hillsborough families somehow managed to achieve for Hillsborough, but one that is potentially just as scandalous.