25th anniversary of Bradford City fire

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Twenty five years ago on this date, 56 people tragically died when a fire erupted at Bradford City’s Valley Parade ground.

The day was supposed to be one of celebration for Bradford who had just won the Third Division trophy. However as the game against Lincoln progressed, a fire began just before half-time in the stand that ran alongside the pitch. As you can see in the video above, the small fire quickly consumed the entire stand. Spectators in the stand ran on to the pitch for their safety. While the stand continued to burn and become engulfed in flames, some of the City supporters sang songs and celebrated on the pitch.

However as the fire continued to burn, the scenes at Bradford’s Valley Parade turned into a panic. It only took four minutes for the entire stand to be engulfed in flames. One supporter found his way on to the pitch despite burning from head to foot, but he later died in hospital. Presumably he’s the one that’s shown in the above video.

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