He said that he then went to fetch a policeman to put the blaze out, and the officer who first attended described it as 'a very minor fire'. The Australian told the inquiry: 'Our feet was were warm, I just stood up and somebody said, whether it was me, my nephew or the other lad, "Oh there is a fire under there," and I said, "There sure is, I'll go and get a fire extinguisher."' However, Mr Bennett apparently said that although he had been smoking during the match, he did not drop a lit cigarette which could have started the fire. Mr Bennett and Mr Brownlie both gave evidence to the Popplewell Inquiry, describing how they saw the fire break out but did not initially realise how serious it was. Relatives of Mr Bennett have confirmed many of the details of that day to the BBC but said he never told them he had dropped the cigarette that started the fire. And this would be weighing on his mind for the rest of his life.' The retired officer added: 'He was obviously troubled. He'd dropped the cigarette that started the fire.' 'The truth is, that he dropped a cigarette and he was quite unequivocal about it. Well, we know the tragic result of what happened. The policeman very quickly started to evacuate the stand. Mr Falconer said: 'They rushed to the back of the stand. Mr Bennett told officers that spectators tried to extinguish the fire by pouring coffee onto it but, within minutes, smoke and then flames took hold. Police interviewed Mr Bennett twice, once the day after the disaster and again 10 days later, when Mr Falconer visited the house where he was staying. The two men had both travelled from Australia, and stayed with relatives in Bradford for several months.įans gathered in Bradford city centre at a memorial service marking the 30th anniversary of the fire yesterday Investigators reconstructed the seating area at a police station to work out where each spectator was sitting, and found that Mr Bennett, who was aged around 65 at the time, and Mr Brownlie were situated near the source of the blaze. The documentary, to be aired tonight, will show how an off-duty police officer, who had been at the game, had been able to take photographs that pinpointed the place in the stand where the fire started.Ī BBC spokesperson said Mr Brownlie had declined to be interviewed for the documentary but his family’s views were reflected in the programme. Mr Brownlie, who moved to Australia 50 years ago and now lives in Adelaide, said that Mr Bennett emigrated in 1970 and lived in Australia until his death around 12 years ago. He blamed the accident on stadium authorities who had piled up flammable rubbish underneath the stands, adding that he had refused to participate in the BBC programme because it would dredge up painful memories. ![]() ![]() 'At no time was Eric responsible for the fire - at no time did he say he stubbed a cigarette out and it went down a hole.' 'I don't know where Falconer is getting this cock-and-bull story from… The inaccuracies in this report are dumbfounding. ![]() 'I don't believe the statement of Falconer at all,' he said. But Mr Brownlie, now 80, told the Daily Telegraph today that his uncle - who like him had emigrated to Australia but was visiting family at the time - could not have dropped a lit cigarette during the game.
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