The Deadliest Fire in the History of British Soccer

May 11th, 1985, started as an electrifying football match between Bradford City and Lincoln City in the West Yorkshire’s Valley Paradise stadium. Before the game kicked off, Bradford City was presented with the Championship Trophy for making it into the Third Division Championship, which was a huge accomplishment for the team.

The game started, and sometime during half-time with both teams unable to score, the referee had to stop the game because of a “small fire” in one of the spectator stands.

/sports/paradise-stadium-the-deadliest-fire-in-the-history-of-british-soccer-56-dead-a-day-to-remember/img/GettyImages-52733610-21807MobileImageSizeReigNN.jpg

Crowds on the pitch at Bradford City’s Valley Parade stadium after the stand caught fire. Photo by Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images

What started as a commotion in one part of the stand in Block G progressed into a full-blown fire within just four minutes.

Police present in the area did their best to guide people away from the stands and into the football grounds.

© 2019 History by Day all rights reserved