http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-34750038 Police refer themselves to IPCC - interesting West Yorkshire Police has referred itself to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) over the 1985 Bradford City fire disaster. Fifty-six people died and more than 250 others were injured at the Valley Parade stadium in May of 1985. A recent book by author Martin Fletcher suggested several fires had started at businesses which were owned by the club's then chairman. The IPCC said it had not yet decided if it would be investigating. 'Painful memories' Mr Fletcher, who was at the game on 11 May 1985 and lost several family members, claims the stadium fire was one of at least nine at companies owned or associated with Stafford Heginbotham. The Popplewell inquiry, held three weeks after the disaster, ruled that the fire was started by accident by a spectator dropping a cigarette or a lighted match which ignited rubbish that had accumulated under an old timber stand. The IPCC said the police referral was in relation to the force's actions during the disaster itself and the investigations that followed. Since the publication of Mr Fletcher's book, West Yorkshire Police said it had identified what material was still available from its original enquiries and discovered "a lot of material" had been retained. The force said it understood its decision would bring back "painful memories" for people who were at the fire or who lost loved ones, but it was "important the concerns raised by Mr Fletcher are addressed". Mr Fletcher, who was 12 at the time of the blaze, escaped from the stand at Valley Parade, but his father, uncle, grandfather and younger brother were killed.
Those rumours about the owners have been going around for a while now. I wonder what's spooked the police to do this now?
Same here mate, when you see the real time the fire absolutely raced along that stand. Know it,s going to open up wounds for a lot of people, not that they,d forget but if it makes some closure etc. or finds there was something dodgy it needs to happen, shame it,s took so long
20 minutes & that stand was gone. All those innocent people dead. Such a tragedy. May peace be upon all those that survived that terrible day.
