The Bradford City Disaster took place 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.. On that day, Bradford City were celebrating winning of the Third Division Championship trophy.

The fire started 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), claiming 56 lives with hundreds more injured.

The disaster led to the introduction of new legislation to increase safety in the UK's football grounds. The video of that day's events is used in fire awareness training for today's sports grounds.

External links

• Bradford City F.C. Official History Page
• This Is Bradford: Bradford City’s day of disaster
• BBC News article