The Happy Valley Racecourse Fire | A Short Documentary | Fascinating Horror

[@artman2oo3]

I've probably said this in comments before, but this channel could also be called "Why we have fire and safety regulations channel."

[@J.F.-yy8ji]

As the old saying goes, 'The book of Safety Code is written in blood'.

[@eliz_scubavn]

This channel has made me realize just how many things I give no thought to, like clearly marked fire exits, are actually vital life-saving items.

[@steve3291]

The standout here is Sir Francis Henry May taking responsibility. These days he would have blamed everyone but himself.

[@moestrei]

So bloody true!

[@kirkmattoon2594]

Well, yes. But even in those days there were plenty of blame-ducking, buck- passing officials. Sir Francis would have been as unusual then as now.

[@UlshaRS]

Robber barons didn't get where they are for taking accountability for their greedy endeavors. People with money and integrity are the oddity and usually not the ones to even be in a situation that sets up for a disaster to happen.

[@theoldar]

First, yes it was good he took responsibility. All too rare. But did he suffer any consequences thereby?

[@frankvietzen7420]

Yeah! I think "taking responsibility" should mean he quits his job at least.

[@DylanDoesArt]

I could never imagine having to leave my sister in burning wreckage to save myself. That kind of memory would haunt your dreams.

[@MarkJoseph81]

It would haunt your waking days.

[@S.M.9]

I truly would never get over that :/

[@Dulcimertunes]

Survivors guilt 😢

[@Boco_Corwin]

Eh. I'd get over it.

[@AnUndeadMonkey]

Straight out of "Barefoot Gen"

[@QT5656]

It's only a matter of time until there is an episode on the serious topic of Bouncy castle accidents.

[@davewitts]

😂

[@frank_fick]

“On the morning of June 23rd, 1999, five people entered Big Jim’s Bounce House, which resulted in the worst disaster in bounce house history.”

[@tremensdelirious]

Saw an episode of Paw Patrol in that exact scenario. Mayor Humdinger had to be rescued from a flyaway bouncy castle by the pups. Blood curdling

[@Zyxxx101]

Like that bouncy castle accident that killed 5 kids in Tasmania

[@cesariojpn]

That's for April Fools.

[@snattlerake4417]

It always amazes/terrifies me how many disasters there have been with triple digit+ casualties that I've never heard of.

[@cindys.9688]

Same here.

[@K3N0PSIA]

Stuff like this tends to gradually become less and less known as time goes on, and new generations are born.

[@bunnymad5049]

Oh, that sister telling her brother to save himself ... heartbreaking. I wonder how he coped in life afterwards. I'm amazed that someone actually took responsibility and did something about it. Amazing. Cold comfort for those lost or mourning though. Thank you. xxx Your work is great.

[@quinu]

Cant even begin to imagine the feelings that poor boy felt

[@bunnymad5049]

@@quinu yeah.

[@Coolcarting]

Yeah right, sure she did. That's what he just told everyone.

[@saragrant9749]

@@Coolcartingoh be quiet Karen. Unless you’re psychic you aren’t in a position to make such a childish, ignorant comment.

[@bunnymad5049]

@@Coolcarting You're not very good at this at all, dude. lol

[@kjb8321]

Please could you cover the Valley Parade fire in Bradford. That was a shocking disaster, which went from a minor incident to bedlam in a matter of minutes, all on live TV in 1985

[@owangejewice]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/maW3aZKCnqllmbcsi=KXd2Tb6G8BPEVT6k Awful...not sure how I'm going to die but I really hope I'm not surrounded by cheering sports fans when it happens.

[@user-ts5ve3if8s]

I have just watched this video and it reminded me of the Valley Parade fire at Bradford Football Club. Hope that this never happens again at a sporting venue.

[@cindys.9688]

​​@@owangejewice ~ Thank you for sharing the link. I'd never heard of this. Absolutely terrifying!! What a tragic day. The announcer did a good job keeping up with it, being respectful and focused. Sad so many lost their lives. It would definitely make a good Fantastic Horror story.

[@yelahneb]

​@@owangejewice Jiminy Christmas this is horrifying. That the football chants from the crowd went on as long as they did is baffling

[@QT5656]

I remember the Valley Parade fire being shown on TV live. I was six but I remember my Dad gasping in horror as he understood what was happening. I later became a match day steward for a top flight football club. We were shown the footage nearly every year during training to remind us how serious fires can be.

[@searchanddiscover]

building collapse, fire, stampede... I never would have guessed such a deadly event could happen at a racetrack given all the open space compared to theaters. of course it makes sense given the conditions, its just not the first thing that would come to mind.

[@wensdyy6466]

as a voluntary firefighter this is one of my nightmares-beeing somewhere where is a fire and not having the equipment to fight it

[@FFEMTB08]

How is pulling up to a fire in your POV and waiting 20 minutes for an engine to arrive any different?

[@wensdyy6466]

@@FFEMTB08 One of my first experiences was our fire engin breaking apart and we were forced to watch a house burn down with one person still inside-the rest was pulled out before the fire goit too big (the fire was just too big for us to go inside after-we are not profesionals and our gear is much older and less modern so no oqygen masks for example). There is nothing worse than helplesly watch and not be able to do anything other than to stand there and watch. For the record we still have that engind (from 1980s) and it is still in use with many voluntary firefighter units (it is not possible to get every unit a new one with over 400 units in as country as Czechia that has only 10 milion inhabitans-some units are in villages that have just a few hundreds people and deffinetly do not have the funds as local municipalities ard hte ones providing funding)

[@FFEMTB08]

@@wensdyy6466 oxygen masks? You do not wear an oxygen mask in a fire.

[@wensdyy6466]

@@FFEMTB08 when we got there the fire was small but there was smoke everywhere-if we had oxygen masks we could have went in and try to get the preson out, if the fire engine worked we could start putting down the fire and give the person better chance at survival. There are many pieces of equipment we do not have (already mentioned qxygen masks but also stuf like personal radios of fire proof pants and gloves-luckily we have fireproof jackets and new helmets). We are volunteers and not profesionals and by law we are forbiden to go in dangerous situations that endanger our lives.

[@FFEMTB08]

@@wensdyy6466 *wonders why vollys are a joke*

[@DoloresSeurat]

As always, thank you for honoring the deceased by remembering them and telling their story so respectfully. 💐

[@nightowldickson]

I never expected to see on this channel a disaster from Hong Kong. Interesting one as I'm from Hong Kong and I've never heard of this fire.

[@skynotaname2229]

same, i go to the racecourse all the time and never saw the memorial, i wonder where it is

[@juliusma4880]

​@@skynotaname2229It's in Mount Caroline Cemetry.

[@LordMxr]

You should have, they have a memorial plaque there as far as I know

[@magicpyroninja]

There's a good chance the story was lost to time or they tried to keep it from spreading

[@katfromthekong414]

Same

[@elliottprice6084]

A tragedy that was waiting to happen. Coal fires and matsheds made of wood and bamboo, the sense of impending doom was palpable. And as with a tragedy like this, when corners were cut with health and safety, it took the loss of hundreds of innocent people for safety to be taken seriously. A shocking disaster with a huge death toll that has vanished into the mists of time. Thank you FH for raising this tragedy so that the victims can be remembered

[@faenethlorhalien]

It does feel like people back then were just fucking idiots and couldn't predict obvious consequences that were yelling at their faces.

[@DaveSCameron]

You could say the same about todays Asian scaffold tho?!

[@KebabMusicLtd]

This fire occurred in 1918. Obvious though they might seem, safety standards that we take for granted today, weren't even thought of at that time. Our own Health and Safety Act didn't come into legislation until 1974 and despite it, large fires still do happen. Consider Bradford City 1985, Kings Cross 1987, Summerland Fire 1973, Grenfell Tower 2017, Piper Alpha 1988 as examples of this.

[@eliz_scubavn]

The moment I heard about the mat sheds being wood, close together and using open fires for heat, I could pretty much guess what was going to happen.

[@blc28x]

Ty ty ty ty ty for NEVER changing the music! I LOVE it and ive come go totally associate it with these stories and your voice! ❤❤❤❤

[@nickdebenedetto6196]

Yeah, except it was way more effective when he used to play the music throughout the whole video!! I hate that he doesn’t do that anymore!

[@blc28x]

@@nickdebenedetto6196 i noticed that:/ but at least he left the OG tune for opening

[@geoffkeeys6946]

I used to live and work in Hong Kong a bit over 25 years ago. I did part time work at both Happy Valley and Sha Tin racecourses and no one ever mentioned this event. Now, I wish that I had paid more attention to my surroundings when in the Happy Valley racecourse.

[@nVolodimer]

Same here, never heard about this tragedy before. Hong Kong never been good with its own history as well.

[@componick6393]

Same here - lived just down the road and never heard about this tragedy at all.

[@EmmaBGames]

Over 600 casualties at an event where happy is in the title is absolutely horrifying.

[@gray_mara]

Maybe it's a British thing, but if you see Happy in the title, it's definitely a place you'd never be happy in.

[@magicpyroninja]

Don't forget it was ironically named Happy valley due to the amount of people who die there

[@rogerrendzak8055]

What about the 'Happyland' fire, that took place in the Bronx, back in '87???

[@paulyiustravelogue]

This is a rather unexpected episode. We learned about this tragedy as a kid growing up in Hong Kong, but it had always been a local story didn’t get much of any attention internationally. Great stuff and well done as always, cheers. 👍🏻

[@petaloka1]

This just reinforces a rule I live by: stay away from large crowds and crowded events.

[@tremensdelirious]

So how do you manage at the railway station or airport or sports or concerts or are you quite dull and never go out?

[@saragrant9749]

As soon as you mentioned the presence of charcoal burning food stands under bamboo constructed stands… I knew it was going to be really bad. That’s just a recipe for catastrophe, especially given the inspections being done by inexperienced people.

[@littlebear274]

Yeah the only thing I got wrong was I expected it to be a fire and then a collapse, not the other way round. Both options that should have been easily anticipated.

[@saragrant9749]

@@littlebear274 exactly. Some very foolish and unfortunate oversights.

[@sarahh6]

Haven't watched your videos in a while, yet excited to catch up. Thank you for helping me through COVID and informing me on things I didn't know about or didn't have the facts correct on!

[@DanKoning777]

That which the world offers is only a distraction and temporary-but this peace and joy never fails, or ends: *"Peace* I leave with you; *My peace* I give to you; *not as the world gives* do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful" [Jn 14v27]

[@user-ym2in6so3l]

Remember, COVID was just a setup to steal an election 😊 the US government rigged the whole thing.

[@ST8URCASE]

Binge watching FH is a guilty pleasure but is very heartbreaking.

[@sarahh6]

@@ST8URCASE fr. a close family member of mine studies history, and of course it's heartbreaking to hear of disasters that happen close to a place you know. (I love the April Fools videos so muh)

[@user-ym2in6so3l]

@@sarahh6 my comment already got deleted…but remember, covid was not what they pretend it was. Tucker Carlson exposed everything.

[@DanKoning777]

Great content as always. After watching Fascinating Horror there's never any mystery re: the origins of: "Hindsight is 20/20"

[@seandelap8587]

Always look forward to a Tuesday morning video by FH

[@markp9621]

It's so ironic that the Huts are called Match-Sheds when it clearly sound's like Match-Head when said a bit quicker.

[@henryturnerjr3857]

I was hearing it as match-head at first and thought, well, that's foreshadowing.

[@MarkJoseph81]

I think it's MAT sheds. Not sure, but it sounded like that to me.

[@markrobinson9956]

I heard match head also. Assumed it was foreshadowing.

[@diligentcircle]

@@MarkJoseph81 That's how I would say it, and then "match-heads" would be more like "matcheds".

[@anneboyd7811]

The closed captioning makes clear that it's "matsheds".

[@SeventhSwell]

Oh, mat sheds. I kept hearing 'matchheads'. I was like how can they call them matchheads and not think about them burning?

[@rogerrendzak8055]

British pronunciations🤭!!

[@davidstevens-251]

The tragedy of accidents is that they are always waiting to happen because we do not, or cannot, think of every possible scenario to prevent them. And in nearly all cases the key factor is complacency, the most direct human condition as we invariably take for granted everything that is around and also governs us.

[@seandelap8587]

So much death and destruction in such a short space of time RIP to them all

[@LisaBrackin-fj5fm]

I have no idea if you’ll see this but I’d sure like to see you do an episode on the disaterous fire in 1968 aboard the Naval aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. My dad was officer in charge of ordinance at the time. Didn’t know for 3 days if he had survived or not. You do a great job with brining to light past events that, in reality, shouldn’t be completely forgotten due to the lives lost as well as lessons learned.

[@ald1144]

It used to be a cemetary? Hold up, DID THEY MOVE THE BODIES?!

[@Michael-te6ly]

They're here.......

[@rogerrendzak8055]

What comes to mind?? 'POLTERGEIST'!!!

[@sedanosable]

What a tragedy...thank you for all you do to bring these stories to light...

[@hk8712345]

Thank you for creating this segment about the tragedy that happened in Hong Kong. When I was a child, I lived near that mass grave and often played there, without realizing it was related to so many victims. Looking back, I feel truly ashamed.

[@michelledavis8159]

Never heard of this story. Thanks for all the effort you put in to discover and tell these stories so well

[@KenDAKL4ever]

Never heard of this before. Thanks for sharing.

[@deliameyer6010]

🖤 appreciate your uploads

[@tkwc2]

Being from HK it is always great to find contents relating to the city. Thank you Fascinating Horror.

[@zeropoint216]

Props to the governor for taking responsibility. A true gentleman.

[@marieelisa1]

Finally, a real man of integrity

[@DinoCism]

Doesn't really help the dead any.

[@jacekatalakis8316]

Oh I never knew about this, this is truly fascinating and horrific

[@hood_TheJoker]

what good is a fire brigade without water and hoses... that's like shooting at a target range that's got a million holes in it.. unbelievable

[@yukiefromoz2573]

Oh I once visited a friend in HK who lived in a high rise apartment overlooking the racecourse. Nice views.

[@irishpsalteri]

Heartbreaking. Well done.

[@Not_The_FBI_1992]

That's incredibly hilarious that the soldiers called it Happy Valley because of their morbid sense of humor!

[@MustertheBrohirrim]

This channel has turned me into a real life Buzz Killington. "Who would like to hear a story about a building fire?" 🤣

[@TerryFarrah]

LOL truth! Debbie Downer here!

[@lonneke7647]

Many MANY compliments on how and where you find your stories and the amount of research this must take!!! 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻

[@GenXfrom75]

Happy Tuesday from Charleston, SC ❤

[@melrauko]

Amazing work. I found researching this (just out of general interest) to be quite difficult so I applaud your efforts. I was never able to find details outside of the casualty estimates.

[@fourstringbuck]

Best channel on KZbin. Thanks for all your hard work!

[@user-ll8be9vt4u]

Learn something new every time I watch your channel. Thank you for the excellent content

[@lisaknits69]

Thank you for sharing 😊😊

[@sum1calledjo]

You tell these so well. Your voice has become such a familiarity to me... its rather soothing despite the nature and content of your videos!

[@JoMarieM]

As a history buff, I'm surprised I never heard of this tragedy, but in another way, I can understand why I didn't. Keep in mind that WW1 was still going on, along with the Spanish Influenza epidemic, so as far as international news went, this was just one more tragedy in a sea of tragedies!

[@David19553]

Excellent channel. Live long and prosper.

[@sallykohorst8803]

Thanks for this video

[@tres909]

It feels so weird giving a thumbs up to a video where thousands of people died, but I do love your videos. Thank you for bringing these tragedies that would have gotten lost to time to more people's awareness.

[@sophiaisabelle0227]

We appreciate your insights. We hope to see more from you.

[@_kaleido]

wow so many people, that’s so sad :( I can’t imagine being in that situation

[@ELCADAROSA]

I'm in the Fire Alarm/Life Safety industry. As has been too often the case, changes in codes & regulations, and improvements in building design & materials come at a steep human cost.

[@daviegriffin3539]

Thanks for the uploads. 🤓 *Cheers from **#CancúnMéxico* 🤘🏽🍻🏝️🍹💙🇲🇽

[@davidcarr7436]

I believe that the RAF christened the Ruhr valley in Germany, "Happy Valley," because so many bomber crews were lost there during WW2. If the British didn't invent gallows humor, they perfected it.

[@bryanestes8558]

Far out how the area around the track grew in population and building, looking at the mountains in old picture can't hardly see them today

[@jaz.s2k2]

Love your channel mate - from Manchester UK 💖

[@davidmarquardt9034]

Here in the US. Most of the deaths from tornadoes where from fire. In the 1800's up until say the early 1920's US homes had wood stoves in the kitchen. Also, unless you lived in town, most people did not have electricy. So you had to use kerosene lamps for lighting. Many people were trapped in the collapsed house and burned alive before they could be rescued.

[@FranssensM]

The description is of someone building a bonfire not a public stand for a sporting event. Lots of dry wood, bamboo and dried leaves. Put large braziers beneath it. Just an urn with plenty of charcoal. Now Light these and stand well back. Allow the wind to take control of the flames.

[@RIVALContentJammerz]

I'm fascinated by this horror.

[@Namelpin]

I was perusing the comments when I thought I heard “popular meat” at 2:25, and thought he was talking about horse meat. I had to rewind and listen two more times to realize he said “popular meet”! 😂

[@patrickhamos2987]

this channel = legit

[@ronjohnson6916]

I knew of this disaster but not much about the specifics. Nice job as always.

[@lisasteel6817]

I wasn’t expecting someone to take full responsibility, ban temporary stands, build safe alternatives, limit crowd sizes and increase fire service attendance. I don’t know but I think this might just be a first?

[@debbieellett9093]

Those poor souls and the survivors as well. The survivor guilt must have been as terrible as witnessing those who perished.

[@DavePainkiller]

The landscape around this building transforming the way it has is astonishing. Going from being the only structure around, to being completely surrounded by towering skyscrapers.. What a horrific accident. 600+ casualties due to an unfortunate lack of safety protocols.

[@POLARTTYRTM]

This disaster is one of the prime examples of how people underestimate how quickly a fire spreads out of control. I remember a video inside an apartment where someone drops something, and the fire engulfs the whole apartment in seconds. At least now we have more regulations in place to prevent it, but it's not a lot of help considering that many things are built with horendously flammable materials.

[@thomassecurename3152]

20/20 hindsight vision is often so clear to see.

[@JedCurrie]

Good video thanks.

[@ashleydelacruz4571]

Hi! I'd like to suggest a story--the Roseburg Blast. In 1959, a truck loaded with dynamite and ammonium nitrate caught fire in downtown Roseburg, Oregon. It caused an explosion that killed a dozen people and injured many others.

[@Sibyle79]

Thanks🎉

[@adammullarkey4996]

Huge props to the governor for accepting blame when he was barely even partially responsible.

[@user-of5lw4oy3c]

I've been to Happy Valley. Heart goes out to the innocent victims.

[@dennis2376]

Thank you.

[@DaneOrschlovsky]

Instead of building fail-safes into the stands, they built fail-certains.

[@classicmicroscopy9398]

So much for a happy valley.

[@Coygon]

Seems to have lived up to the original, morbidly sarcastic meaning just fine.

[@katrinafitch3534]

This incident was completely horrifying.. You do so great telling us about FH, but it's history that isn't really taught in schools. 👌🏆

[@timd4524]

Here's a good idea. Let's make the stands out of the flimsiest and most flammable materials. Brilliant.

[@naturalroyalflush]

The course looks pretty good now. The sister telling her brother to leave...tragic and brave. The death toll was dreadful. It’s appreciated that the governor took full responsibility.

[@ThePlayaJohn]

you should do a video on the Staines air crash of 1972 it’s half a mile from where I live

[@reachandler3655]

Not far from where I lived at the time, I was 3, so I don't remember.

[@daffers2345]

Try emailing him the idea. He has an email in the description. :)

[@k.c1126]

I'm always struck by the high death rate of women and children in these large scale disasters from a century ago... In this situation their smaller body mass would have contributed heavily to their being unable to get out of the collapsed structures before being overwhelmed by smoke and fire. Sad.

[@28russ]

Wow, that's the date of my birthday. Exactly 60 years before I was born, but still, the same date. And I thought he was saying matchheads the first couple of times, which was tragically quite foreshadowing.

[@ball7781]

Wow this is so cool🎉🎉❤❤❤

[@QT5656]

Chilling.

[@foreverpinkf.7603]

That was true fascinating horror.

[@saraquill]

Running back for that cash box was not worth his life.

[@princessmarlena1359]

Ironically a friend of my cousin owned a shop that burned down, but the cash box and money in it that he had stashed in a hidden cavity in the wall behind a moveable panel survived the fire.

[@Dr_1212]

New Fascinating Horror 👍

[@stinchjack]

Francis Henry May taking responsibility like that makes him a star. Now, where do we find more politicians like that?

[@GoldenBear_]

Thanks as always for the well researched content. There remains a cemetery across the street from the racetrack today. Hong Kong is crazy about horse race betting, according to Wiki: "Hong Kong generates the largest horse racing revenue in the world...In 2009, Hong Kong generated an average US$12.7 million in gambling turnover per race 6 times larger than its closest rival France at US$2million..."

[@TomLehockySVK]

"There were firefighters but no fire engines and no hoses", it is like the organizers were waiting for this catastrophy to happen, such a sad tragedy.

[@bessofhardwick9311]

Kudos to Sir Francis for taking responsibility.

[@canman5060]

This most tragic incident which was second to the Haifax Explosion in Nova Scotia Canada in casualty figures has long been forgotten ever since the early 1920's when the new governor of Hong Kong ordered the more durable construction of the spectator stands.

[@giraffesinc.2193]

Good morning, FH!!

[@gracewsho]

The fact that this episode came out when I traveled to the opposite side of the globe to visit Hong Kong???

[@eadweard.]

What about it?

[@gray_mara]

Wait, someone took responsibility AND took action right away? That's not on my FH bingo card!

[@magicpyroninja]

I find it incredibly sad and disheartening that when emergency situations arise, people act like stampeding animals regardless of who or what gets in their way

[@danielcollins8631]

Let get this guy to 2 million subs 😊

[@SamanthaEatsCookies]

After something so devastating, im shocked that it kept going the next year and that it remains successful

[@funtimetuber093]

Interesting that even thought I was born and raised in Hong Kong, I have never heard of this disater before