Chapter 1: 11th May, 1985

Saturday the 11th of May 1985 was supposed to be a day of celebration for the fans of Bradford City AFC. They’d just clinched the Division Three title and the last game of the season against Lincoln City was set to be a lap of honour.But as half time approached, faint wisps of smoke appeared from the Main Stand of Valley Parade. They quickly turned to visible orange flames. The carnival atmosphere quickly took a turn as the flames grew. In just over four minutes, the entire stand was ablaze. It’s estimated that temperatures reached 900 degrees celsius.While many fans survived by escaping onto the pitch, 56 didn’t. But despite it being one of the deadliest events in football history, the fire at Valley Parade has faded somewhat into obscurity.Investigative journalist, Mobeen Azhar, speaks to those who were at the ground that fateful day, to get a sense of the tragedy. From police officers, to the radio commentator, we hear the shocking details of one of the worst days in football history. 900 Degrees is a What's The Story original podcast series. What's The Story are the leaders in premium true-crime podcasts and audio story-telling.The whole series of 900 Degrees is available to listen to on What's The Story? Crime - your new home for compelling true crime content. On there you'll get all episodes of 900 Degrees ad-free, as well as access to the best true-crime series like Smoking Gun and The Missing, bonus episodes, early access and exclusive series you can't hear anywhere else.If you listen on Apple Podcasts, simply search for 'Crime Corner'. Or if you're on Spotify, or any other platform, just click HERE, and set up What's The Story? Crime on your chosen platform.What's The Story? Crime costs less than a cup of coffee, and helps ensure we can make more series like this one. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.