Remembering the Bradford Fire: 25 Years On

Any football fan will usually have a story to tell, from a trip to Wembley, to surviving relegation or, in my Father’s case, witnessing a lonely Sheffield United fan being chased by a horde of booze-filled Geordies. Every loyal fan has one, no matter how whimsical, and on May 11th 1985 Bradford City fans had one too.

The Bantams had just won promotion to division two and with a bumper crowd in attendance, more than double the average gate, the day should have gone down in history for the right reasons. Bradford were about to reach their highest league standing since 1937 and, having been presented with the league trophy before kick-off, the match against Lincoln City was set to be a momentous day for all concerned.

Sadly, forty minutes into the game a devastating fire broke out in the Main Stand causing 56 people to lose their lives and leave a city in mourning. When tragedy and football are put together few recall Bradford – even though the fire was the worst in British football history.

With new perspectives from the day, Matthew Pearson takes a look at the aftermath as well as trying to answer why people are reluctant to talk about what has increasingly become Hillsborough’s forgotten counterpart.

Jai Delly was a boy of fourteen in 1985, and when he saw his best friend Craig Stockman at school the day before he could never have imagined that it would be the last time they would spend together listening to Bob Marley and dreaming of the future.

“I’d only ever been to Valley Parade once and that was because I sneaked in. My best friend Craig, his sister Ashley and their dad Trevor all went to the match that day.

“The smoke could be seen from fifteen miles away and when I heard what had happened I phoned Craig’s mum to see if they had been in contact with her, sadly nobody had. What’s even worse is that she also lost a son about a year earlier.

“It’s awful when you think back. You ask yourself why? Is it God or the Devil? It was just such a terrible thing.”

“For me it was the first time I really lost someone close to me. He was my best friend. I’ve lost close relatives since, but nothing compares. I don’t think I will ever feel that bad again. I remember the whole school went to the funeral and they named a sports trophy in their honour. They were the best kids you could ever meet.”

Stephen McLaughlin was also in attendance, standing in the Kop adjacent to the Main Stand: “I ran on the pitch and headed towards the fire. I remember about fifty yards away the heat just struck me. I wrapped a jumper around my head to shield myself from the heat and ran over to help a copper who was pulling someone from the stand.

“All you could see were fireballs where the roof was catching alight. I saw a couple still sitting in their seats, burnt alive. They just didn’t stand a chance.”

“I didn’t know what was happening but you could hear what sounded like cars exploding from the heat outside the ground. I remember reading stories afterwards, like finding the body of a father with his arms wrapped around his two sons and their bodies had been welded together because of the heat.”

The fire itself was a terrible accident and was the result of what is thought to have been a stray cigarette end falling through a gap in the old main wooden stand. Tragically, for those who lost their lives, if it hadn’t been for an accumulation of litter beneath the stand catching alight, people like Jai Delly would still have their best friends to grow up with.

Many people in the stand felt their feet warming through the wooden floor and, when the first flames were seen, they desperately fled onto the pitch or attempted to escape through emergency exits at the back of the stand. Sadly many of the exits were locked and subsequently most people died as a result of being trapped by the flames.

Almost all those who escaped onto the pitch survived, but over 200 people suffered burns and other injuries. Fans were not helped by the fact the roof of the stand was covered in asphalt and bitumen which made the fire all the more intense.

In total it took a little under four minutes for the entire stand to catch fire, making it amazing that no more than 56 died under such horrific circumstances.

As a result video footage of that fateful day is shown in fire departments across the world acting as a stark reminder of the speed at which fires can spread.

The City holds a Memorial Service each year to honour those who died and the burns unit at Bradford City Hospital was founded through donations made to the trust that raised money for those affected. Jai Delly told me he solemnly marks the day, but you never really forget.

One of the most, long standing tributes to those affected comes in the form of the annual Memorial Football Tournament.

Carl Dalton, who runs the tournament, was 17 at the time and was standing just a few yards away from where the fire broke out: “It was horrific seeing people burning and there was nothing you could do. I managed to get out but there was just panic, it was just awful.”

Along with a Memorial Sculpture given as a gift, from Bradford’s twin city of Hamm in Germany, the tournament now acts as a living memorial to those who lost their lives.

Carl says: “The families and community alike thought it was a great idea and it has been running for the last twenty four years. Teams from all around Europe come and play.

“The responsibility for running it has now fallen to me, but Howell Williams who set things in motion still comes down even after all these years.

“The message sport can deliver is appreciated, but it can be a double edged sword, you want to remember and show compassion and then there is the fact you want to get kids active and provide a social experience. It’s all about creating happier memories out of the tragedy and making sure we remember those people now lost to us for the right reasons.”

Stephen McLaughlin told me what he and his friends did to help: “Patrick ‘Patsy’ Hollinger, who runs the supporters coaches, was contacted after the fire by some teams in Glasgow and they played a match with our local team in aid of the disaster. Rangers and Celtic even donated a couple of signed shirts that were raffled and we made a lot of money.

“Another time we were up in Scotland to watch Celtic. ‘Patsy’ had some burns on his face and some fans recognised him from a television interview. We were standing in a bar and they all had a whip round for the cause and sent the money to the trust. It showed that it wasn’t just the Bradford community who pulled together and helped the cause, even the Leeds fans sympathised with what had happened.”

Jai Delly was only young but having lost so much he was compelled to help: “There was a fund set up where we helped raise money by doing sponsored swims and walks, but I was totally gutted. It left a massive hole in the hearts of all those affected by it. It must have been like when the city was bombed in the war, because a sense of community was evoked and everyone pulled together to help each other through.”

However, many people feel that the fire at Bradford has been swept under the rug while the community soldiers on, bearing the weight of the disaster on its shoulders. Maybe the fact that the subsequent Popplewell Inquiry found that the club had been warned about the rubbish accumulating under the stand means guilt renders any feelings mute.

Most people seem to have accepted that it was a terrible accident and the events of the day were unprecedented. However some feel that more could be done in light of the mass media attention the anniversary of the Hillsborough disaster receives. When I contacted the club, they declined to comment, directing me instead to a brief historical account on their website.

Jai Delly told me: “I just don’t know if it’s better to let sleeping dogs lie or rake up the past? It seems many people in Bradford just don’t want to talk about it.”

Stephen McLaughlin told me that people are annoyed and that it seems that every time Hillsborough comes around it overshadows Bradford. He said: “You still see people around the City with burns on their hands and faces. What people don’t realise is that it affected more than just those who died, a lot of people were hurt. I broke my leg about four months after the fire and there were still people in hospital waiting for skin grafts.”

Worryingly, Stephen did tell me stories of how some rival fans remember the events but in the poorest taste.

“We were playing away and the crowd started chanting ‘You only sing when you’re burning’. He also told me how some nine months ago when Bradford played Lincoln City, some Bradford fans were drinking in a bar before the match and this guy was flicking open his lighter and laughing at them – the irony is that two Lincoln fans died in the fire as well.”

Carl Dalton was quick to put things into perspective: “It should never be a competition. What happened at both grounds was tragic. I think it’s more a case of circumstance. Those caught up at Hillsborough feel more injustice and want closure. The fire was an accident and people just want to move on. I do think that the League should do more to mark the day, there should at least be some sort of remembrance built in to looking back at the day each year.”

Jai Delly echoed those thoughts, begging the question: “If Bradford was a bigger city would it matter more?

Carl says: “Maybe the idea of people being burnt alive is just too horrible an image in comparison to the crush that took place at Hillsborough. It was terrifying to see people on fire.”

When May 11th creeps into view it seems abundantly clear that the national outpouring of emotion felt when Hillsborough was remembered last year will, regrettably, overshadow the memory of the Bradford fire this time around.

What will never change is that the people of Bradford will never forget. All that is left is to hope the rest of the country, or at the very least those millions wrapped up in this beautiful game, will remember with heavy hearts the price 56 people paid in the name of celebrating their team’s promotion. Rest In Peace.

Annual Memorial Service – Tues May 11th

The service, marking the 25th anniversary of the fire disaster, will be held in Bradford Cathedral tomorrow night, May 11th, at 7.30pm.

The Cathedral will be open through the day, from 8.30am to 5.30pm, with a candle under the memorial plaque in the North Transept for those wishing to spend a quiet time in prayer.

A tenor bell will be tolled at 3.40pm, the time the fire was first noticed.