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Steven

Bradford fire

By Steven, in General Football and Sport

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Donut

Donut

Posted
Posted

Surely it was an accident?

 

My mind wont let something that was so horrific be anything other

Guest Bilo

Guest Bilo

Posted
Posted

Why would you start the fire on a match day if you were doing it on purpose? Were there any injuries/fatalities at the other fires he's connected to?

 

Exactly, ti makes little sense.

 

Although it would be easier to argue that a lit cigarette started the fire with thousands of people in the stand than it would if the fire had started at 3am.

Mark_w

Mark_w

Posted
Posted

Exactly, ti makes little sense.

 

Although it would be easier to argue that a lit cigarette started the fire with thousands of people in the stand than it would if the fire had started at 3am.

 

Even if that is the case, you'd have to accept that Heginbotham actively chose to leave gates locked blocking the exit of fans caught up in the fire (I see no rationale for that other than wanting to kill people), there's certainly not enough evidence presented in that article to make that claim I don't think.

Guest MattP

Guest MattP

Posted
Posted

Wasn't it completely normal to lock the gates at football back in those days?

davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

Wasn't it completely normal to lock the gates at football back in those days?

At Filbo in the early days at least for me they used to stay shut until half time after which you could walk in except when there was a full house.

 

One of my abiding memories and biggest regrets in football was being locked out for the whole of the LCFC v Man U game when we beat then 4-3 the gates where definitely shut for the whole game as I stood outside for 90 mins getting a running commentary from those inside or sitting on the walls etc,

Mark_w

Mark_w

Posted
Posted

Wasn't it completely normal to lock the gates at football back in those days?

Probably. My point is that if he set the fire for financial gain you'd have thought he would have made sure there were as many escape routes as possible. According to the Bradford forums he and his family were in the stand (can anyone confirm?) so it doesn't seem that plausible.

davieG

davieG

Posted
Posted

New Bradford City fire claims 'nonsense', says ex judge

_74772307_firegetty.jpgMore than 50 people lost their lives in the 1985 fire at Bradford City

The judge who chaired the inquiry into a fire at Bradford City, which killed 56 people, has said claims it may have started deliberately are "nonsense".

A new book claims the fire was just one of at least nine fires at businesses owned or associated with the then chairman Stafford Heginbotham.

Sir Oliver Popplewell has stood by his verdict the fire at Valley Parade was an accident, started by a cigarette.

Author Martin Fletcher lost three generations of his family in the fire.

Mr Fletcher, who was 12 at the time of the blaze escaped unharmed, but his younger brother, father, uncle and grandfather all died.

He claims to have uncovered evidence Mr Heginbotham was in dire financial trouble at the time and has called for a fresh inquiry.

Speaking to BBC Radio Leeds, Sir Oliver said: "I'm sorry to spoil what is obviously a very good story, I'm afraid is nonsense for many reasons."

_82346102_bradfordfire.jpgAn inquiry ruled the fire was started by a dropped cigarette

The retired judge said the main flaw in the argument that the fire was arson was that the stand involved had no insurance value because it was due for demolition.

He said the fire was examined by experienced and thorough investigators who found nothing suspicious. And he said no question of arson was ever raised in civil legal proceedings.

The Popplewell inquiry, held three weeks after the disaster, ruled the fire was started by a spectator dropping a cigarette into rubbish that had accumulated under an old timber stand.

Mr Fletcher, whose book is being serialised by the Guardian, said the inquiry did not look at the finances of Mr Heginbotham, who died in 1995.

The book does not make any direct allegations but Mr Fletcher says the chairman's history with fires, which he claims resulted in payouts totalling about £27m in today's terms, warranted further investigation.

Sir Oliver said although he could understand previous fires raising suspicions, the inquiry was conducted "perfectly properly".

Former sports minister Gerry Sutcliffe, who was deputy leader of Bradford City Council at the time of the fire, said he did not believe there was "any sort of cover-up".

purpleronnie

purpleronnie

Posted
Posted

 

More than 50 people lost their lives in the 1985 fire at Bradford City

 

An inquiry ruled the fire was started by a dropped cigarette

The retired judge said the main flaw in the argument that the fire was arson was that the stand involved had no insurance value because it was due for demolition.

 

his next fire, which killed 56 people, resulted in Bradford City receiving insurance proceeds and associated grants of £988,000. In today’s adjusted terms that’s £7m. It’s also a bit of a joke that, back in 1985, nobody picked up on the fact that Heginbotham – seemingly a one-man walking nightmare for insurance companies – had already recouped nearly a million pounds (£10m in today’s terms) before his club was rewarded with the further gift of £1.46m (worth £10.25m in today’s money) by the local authority, to take his total fire proceeds from his Bradford firms to £2.74m – or £27m in today’s adjusted terms"

 

?

Alexikokopops

Alexikokopops

Posted
Posted

?

From another article

http://www.theguardian.com/football/blog/2015/apr/18/bradford-fire-horrors-lies-silence-martin-fletcher-family

Popplewell, and others, have now stated the timber stand had no insurance value and, again, is Fletcher wrong to feel like screaming in frustration? “As was reported widely at the time, the club collected insurance proceeds of £500,000, with a further Football Grounds Improvement Trust grant of £375,000,” he says.

  • 1 year later...

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