1985 Bradford fire - no accident?

Interesting piece from a few years ago...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/foo...-comments.html

If you watch the video you can clearly see a small fire in the packed stand. Is this bloke really suggesting the chairman set fire to the seating, 40 minutes into a game, with loads of people around, for insurance?

Originally Posted by MrBishi

If you watch the video you can clearly see a small fire in the packed stand. Is this bloke really suggesting the chairman set fire to the seating, 40 minutes into a game, with loads of people around, for insurance?

I don't think he's suggesting the Chairman himself did it.

It's not hard to imagine him being desperate (he was) and having some flukey drop a cig under the stand. The intention wasn't to kill people, just get a fire going that would abandon the game & result in a big payoff.

I'm not saying that's what happened, but he seems to have had form.

Originally Posted by mike999

To be fair, it's not as if there were a lot of high profile cover ups in the 70s and 80s

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/columnist...-adultery.html

Originally Posted by Grimson

I don't think he's suggesting the Chairman himself did it.

It's not hard to imagine him being desperate (he was) and having some flukey drop a cig under the stand. The intention wasn't to kill people, just get a fire going that would abandon the game & result in a big payoff.

I'm not saying that's what happened, but he seems to have had form.

£#%&! it he's dead say what you want.

anyone remember that chairman at doncaster who got banged up back in the '90s for trying to burn down their stadium?

paid some mate of his to do it and he dropped his mobile when he was running away

Originally Posted by Semantic Lisp

always thought it was a bit odd it went up so fast tbf.

didn't know anything about this though, £#%&!ing hell

Did a fire warden course last year and they showed footage from the Bradford fire. Brutal scenes :shakehead:

Originally Posted by 92ToBury

What next? Titanic was a hit by some Jewish bloke? Something-berg, I think his name was.

Henning Berg was Jewish

Originally Posted by Mr_Ed

Just read that... 8 other fires too.

The scousers will be livid.

And they only cause 1 accident the heysel.

Originally Posted by Jez Quigley

Did a fire warden course last year and they showed footage from the Bradford fire. Brutal scenes :shakehead:

they used to show it at work all the time for those who thought it would be ok to stay at their desks for a bit after the fire alarm went off.

Originally Posted by Grimson

I don't think he's suggesting the Chairman himself did it.

It's not hard to imagine him being desperate (he was) and having some flukey drop a cig under the stand. The intention wasn't to kill people, just get a fire going that would abandon the game & result in a big payoff.

I'm not saying that's what happened, but he seems to have had form.

Oh, so he only got someone to set fire to the stand during a match & then hope everyone gets out quickly, that's all right then. Not like there'd be anyone down on the concourse, what with half time approaching.

It's a good thing you're not suggesting that's what happened, because it's insane. There's no way I can reconcile the notion that anyone would burn down a packed wooden stand during a match for insurance.

Originally Posted by MrBishi

There's no way I can reconcile the notion that anyone would burn down a packed wooden stand during a match for insurance.

There's always the chance it was the first time in history someone did something desperate and stupid, with no thought of anyone else's well-being.

In this case, someone linked to 8 previous fires that netted 27 million in insurance payouts. Someone who learned, two days before the fire, that his stadium would need 2 million in improvements to be certified safe for the following season, because of their promotion. Someone in such dire financial trouble that he was unable to pay his staff beyond the current month.

I don't see how you can reject it merely on the basis of not being able to imagine anyone doing it. We could both find plenty of examples of horrible things people did for money.

Originally Posted by Grimson

There's always the chance it was the first time in history someone did something desperate and stupid, with no thought of anyone else's well-being.

In this case, someone linked to 8 previous fires that netted 27 million in insurance payouts. Someone who learned, two days before the fire, that his stadium would need 2 million in improvements to be certified safe for the following season, because of their promotion. Someone in such dire financial trouble that he was unable to pay his staff beyond the current month.

I don't see how you can reject it merely on the basis of not being able to imagine anyone doing it. We could both find plenty of examples of horrible things people did for money.

This.

if it was on purpose I very much doubt they thought it would go up as fast as it did. Probably envisioned it would have been evacuated well before it was out of control.

If there's lot of money involved you really shouldn't underestimate the risks people will take.

Originally Posted by Grimson

There's always the chance it was the first time in history someone did something desperate and stupid, with no thought of anyone else's well-being.

In this case, someone linked to 8 previous fires that netted 27 million in insurance payouts. Someone who learned, two days before the fire, that his stadium would need 2 million in improvements to be certified safe for the following season, because of their promotion. Someone in such dire financial trouble that he was unable to pay his staff beyond the current month.

I don't see how you can reject it merely on the basis of not being able to imagine anyone doing it. We could both find plenty of examples of horrible things people did for money.

Im now imagining grimmers as some small town dood ol' boy sheriff being interviewed for one of those documentaries about someone being wrongly executed.

Originally Posted by Jez Quigley

Henning Berg was Jewish

Come on Jez, he put some good tackles in but nothing that could put a hole in the Titanic. That Jaap Stamberg bloke though....

Popplewell is all over denying it today on the BBC site - would've been yesterday no doubt, but it was national liverpool day...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-32330734

There would have been cigarettes dropping under that stand for years, surprised it took that long to cause a fire

Originally Posted by Semantic Lisp

Popplewell is all over denying it today on the BBC site - would've been yesterday no doubt, but it was national liverpool day...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-leeds-32330734

International Liverpool day. Remember, it changed the world.

Originally Posted by atticusgrinch

£#%&! it he's dead say what you want.

Once a lawyer