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On 11 May 1985 the main stand of Bradford City Football Club caught fire. Within four minutes the stand was alight from end to end. Fifty three people were burnt to death and about 250 injured; 83 required admission to hospital, and 55 ofthese were treated by primary excision of their burns and skin grafting.In such disasters the help of staff from other hospitals and areas is essential. Patients should be assessed to see whether they have burns that will ultimately be fatal; if they have they should not be sent to regional burns units, where they would take up beds that could be used for patients with treatable burns. All districts should ensure that their plans for accidents in which burns injuries predominate are adequate.spectators were well wrapped up in overcoats and scarves. The fire is thought to have started in rubbish that had accumulated under one corner of the stand. It spread extremely rapidly, so that within four minutes the stand was alight from end to end (fig 1); in addition, the bitumen coating of the roof melted and dripped down in large splashes. Fifty three spectators tried to escape through the turnstiles but were trapped and immediately burnt to death. The remainder of the crowd spilled forward on to the football pitch. The match was abandoned. CasualtiesAbout 250 spectators sustained injuries that were not immediately fatal, most of which were burns of exposed areas caused by radiant heat from the