Valley Parade fire disaster

[Sanguine]

Startling and horrifying revelations in a new book about the Bradford City fire disaster, it is claimed that 8 previous businesses owned by the club's then chairman Stafford Heginbotham had fallen victim to fire.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... n-fletcher

First I've heard of this, has it been rumoured for some time that the fire was no accident?

[M Brook]

Yes - a very interesting article. A fire at one previous business may have been a coincidence but eight coincidences in less than 20 years and questions start to be asked. The question is why has this taken so long to come to light?

[Mr.Swainey]

Shocking revelations.

Also, 26 years ago today, 96 football fans didn't come home. Take a moment to remember them as well.

[No Fixed Abode]

30th anniversary this year. I assume the FA will start all games 40 minutes late?

[YateleyRoyal]

That really is

[AthleticoSpizz]

30th anniversary this year. I assume the FA will start all games 40 minutes late?

seems like Bradford started 80 minutes late last night. +1 to the 30 year sentiment tho', another one of those remembering where you were when you first saw it moments.

[Royalclapper]

Startling and horrifying revelations in a new book about the Bradford City fire disaster, it is claimed that 8 previous businesses owned by the club's then chairman Stafford Heginbotham had fallen victim to fire.

http://www.theguardian.com/football/201 ... n-fletcher

First I've heard of this, has it been rumoured for some time that the fire was no accident?

The heart sinks to think that there is anything in this story.

I remember after the fire when the stories started getting circulated that local authorities, including fire officers, had warned about the build up of litter and ticket storage boxes etc under that stand. Hope there was nothing deliberate going on, shocking enough as it was.

[Royalcop]

Fires at his other businesses notwithstanding, it seems unlikely to me that you would set a deliberate insurance fire with 1000's of potential witnesses present. I've not read the book but the author is a survivor who lost family members in the disaster so is he necessarily going to be approaching the subject with an open mind? It strikes me the author might be searching for a conspiracy that isn't there in order to give some meaning to his loss. Having said that, the JFT96 campaign probably had similar things said about them and look what's happening now.

[Ian Royal]

Fires at his other businesses notwithstanding, it seems unlikely to me that you would set a deliberate insurance fire with 1000's of potential witnesses present. I've not read the book but the author is a survivor who lost family members in the disaster so is he necessarily going to be approaching the subject with an open mind? It strikes me the author might be searching for a conspiracy that isn't there in order to give some meaning to his loss. Having said that, the JFT96 campaign probably had similar things said about them and look what's happening now.

Good post IMO, not much to be added.

[Royalist]

Yep the bitterness of losing so many members of his family might of twisted his perspective but If it is correct about the amount of fires beforehand its worth looking into or seeing if it even was looked into? Weren't Bradford knocking down the stand to rebuild a new one after that game anyway so any fire damage wouldn't of even mattered to the chairman?. Would be hard to prove either way after all this time and the chairman being long dead.

[Kitsondinho]

Shocking stuff.

[Kitsondinho]

30th anniversary this year. I assume the FA will start all games 40 minutes late?

Do actually have to drag the Chelsea/Liverpool rivalry into everything? There will be a minutes silence at every league game on the anniversary of the fire.

[tmesis]

Given the age of some of the stuff found under the stand (pre-decimalisation sweet wrappers etc) he'd have had to have been planning it for about 15 years, and managed to start the blaze without anyone in the packed stand seeing him.

The chairman looks dodgy, but other than "coincidence" there doesn't seem to be anything at all pointing to it being in any way deliberate.

[sandman]

30th anniversary this year. I assume the FA will start all games 40 minutes late?

Do actually have to drag the Chelsea/Liverpool rivalry into everything? There will be a minutes silence at every league game on the anniversary of the fire.

Just checked the PL table, doesn't appear that there's much of a rivalry between Lollerpool and Chelsea.

[AthleticoSpizz]

Some parallels with the Kings Cross fire.....build up of years of debris....combustable wooden mainframe components, lax smoking and flame laws?

Maybe the Guardian should be looking at the past 100 years or so, that preceded this disaster. Maybe where there has been fires in such public arenas, but have seen the results less devastating I.e. where the fire was put out before the punters even knew nor were affected.

These accusations may hold water, but ........


It being too easy to jump to conclusions, I will await Ians' take on it

[philM]

Fires at his other businesses notwithstanding, it seems unlikely to me that you would set a deliberate insurance fire with 1000's of potential witnesses present..

I suspect you're right as surely the risk to life would be obvious, but in some ways it would be an ideal time as you'd have a huge number of random people to blame for dropping a fag or match etc. and with so many people around nobody would notice the firestarter. If the ground was empty it would be more suspicious and not so easy for the culprit to not be spotted by someone as he entered and left

[Dai Brainbocs]

It's contradictory for the Guardian to say "Fletcher does not make any direct allegations" and in the same report quote him as saying "I don’t think Stafford intended for people to die".

If it was an insurance scam, why on earth would you do it on match day with the close-season looming? Wasn't it the last game of the season? You'd have all summer to do it and the payout would be the same.

There have been loads of football ground fires over the years many of which must have been frauds, but how many when there was a game in progress? One at Forest in 1968 but I can't think of any others.

[philM]

If it was an insurance scam, why on earth would you do it on match day with the close-season looming? Wasn't it the last game of the season? You'd have all summer to do it and the payout would be the same. .

Much more suspicious if the ground was empty.

[Dai Brainbocs]

But as soon as you get a single casualty the forensic attention on the cause would ramp up hugely. Why risk it?

Edit: Sir Oliver Popplewell who conducted the official inquiry was on Radio 4 just now. Says the stand was due to be pulled down immediately after the game so had no commercial value to be claimed on.

[From Despair To Where?]

Fires at his other businesses notwithstanding, it seems unlikely to me that you would set a deliberate insurance fire with 1000's of potential witnesses present. I've not read the book but the author is a survivor who lost family members in the disaster so is he necessarily going to be approaching the subject with an open mind? It strikes me the author might be searching for a conspiracy that isn't there in order to give some meaning to his loss. Having said that, the JFT96 campaign probably had similar things said about them and look what's happening now.

Agreed, if you are going to do it deliberately on a match day, you'd do it as the crowd were leaving. A discarded cigarette as that last few people are filtering out.