On this day in 1971, The Daily Sketch newspaper which was founded in 1909 was published for the last time. At its peak the Daily Sketch achieved a circulation of 1.3 million copies a day but in its latter years readership of the paper had been in decline. But the former editor of the Sketch, David English, remained with the company. He was appointed editor of the Daily Mail after the Sketch's closure was announced.Bradford Stadium Fire
On this day in 1985, a fire that broke out in a stand at Valley Parade ground, the home of Bradford City Football Club, killed 56 people and left about 265 injured. The match being played was Bradford City v Lincoln City in front of 11,000 fans. One of the victims was 86 years old former club chairman, Samuel Firth, who died in hospital from burns.
The match began in an atmosphere of celebration as Bradford City had just been promoted to the second division. Just before kick-off Bradford City captain Peter Jackson was presented with the Third Division trophy. Five minutes before half time at 3.40 p.m. a small fire was noticed three rows from the back in Block G and fire-fighting equipment was requested. Within minutes flames were visible and police started to evacuate the stand. But the blaze spread very rapidly - within four minutes the whole of the roof and the wooden stands below were on fire and police struggled to save those who were too stunned or weak to escape. There was panic as fans stampeded to an exit that was padlocked. Eventually two or three burly men put their weight against it and smashed the gates open. The death toll might have beenhigher had it not been for the courage of police officers and 22 spectators later presented with bravery awards. It is thought the fire may have been started by a discarded cigarette end. A Bradford Disaster Appeal Fund £3.5m for the victims and their families.
