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Radio 5 Live,3 mins

Sir Oliver Popplewell: Bradford City fire 'worth police investigating'

5 Live In Short

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Sir Oliver Popplewell, who investigated the Bradford City fire, has told 5 live that he thinks it is "worth the police investigating" whether there was any suspicion of arson. A new book claims the fire at Bradford's stadium was one of at least nine at businesses owned by or associated with the club's then chairman Stafford Heginbotham, who died in 1995. The claims are contained in 'Fifty-Six - The Story Of The Bradford Fire', by Martin Fletcher who was 12 at the time and escaped from the fire but lost three generations of his family including his father and brother. Asked for his reaction to the claims Sir Oliver Popplewell said: "Now that this has been raised publicly I think obviously people will be upset about it so I think it is worth the police investigating. Whether it will take us anywhere we will just have to see." Sir Oliver told 5 live Breakfast there was "nothing to indicate" the previous fires in the evidence presented at the time although police and insurers "must have" investigated them, which indicates there "wasn't any question of arson involved". West Yorkshire police says it will consider any new evidence about the Bradford City fire that killed 56 people in 1985. This clip is originally from 5 live Breakfast on Thursday 16 April 2015.

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