A year ago today, my post concerned the assassination of the British Prime Minister, Spencer Perceval. The 11th of May, however, is now generally remembered for a more modern tragedy - the fire at Bradford City's Valley Parade.
The former home of the Manningham rugby club, Valley Parade had been the venue for Bradford City's home games since its founding in 1903. By 1985, the stadium was showing its age. The main stand was particularly antiquated, and due to a wooden roof, was considered a fire hazard. In fact, the stand had been condemned, and was due for demolition at the end of the 1984/85 season.
In addition to the materials used, the club had been warned of an additional fire risk due to gaps between the seats; large amounts of litter would accumulate underneath the stand.
In 1985, Bradford were playing in Division 3, but a highly successful season saw them not only gain promotion to the Second Division (for the first time since 1937), but also manage to lift the Third Division Championship. On 11th May, the club were presented with the trophy before their clash with Lincoln City (the final game of the season),
At about 3.40pm, five minutes before half-time, a glow was seen at the back of Row G, coming from the piles of rubbish under the stand. Within four minutes, the entire stand was alight. For those at the rear of the stand, the only real exit was via a narrow passageway, which by now, was enveloped in thick black smoke.
At 4.00 am on Sunday, 12th May, emergency services removed the last of the bodies. A total of fifty-six people perished, with over 260 injured. It remains the worst fire disaster in British football history.
It is believed that a dropped cigarette was to blame for the tragedy...
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