Bradford City Disaster

The Bradford City Disaster occurred on May 11, 1985 when a flash fire occurred at the Valley Parade stadium of Bradford City F.C. during a football match against Lincoln City F.C. Bradford City were celebrating winning the Third Division Championship trophy on this day.

A fire occurred in the main stand and quickly spread. Due to its wood and asbestos construction, and the intensity of the fire, the stand quickly collapsed (said to be within 4 minutes of the fire starting). 56 people died in the fire, with hundreds more injured.

The disaster led to new legislation being introduced to increase safety in football grounds in the UK. The video of the events on that day is now part of fire awareness training in today's sports grounds.