On This Day: 89 years since Ninian Blaze

On 18th January 1937- 89 years to the day, current League One side, Cardiff City, suffered a fire at their former Ninian Park Ground, which ripped through the Main Stand and forced their scheduled home fixture with Millwall to be postponed.

The main centre stand at Ninian Park, the home ground of Cardiff City Football Club, was reduced to a skeleton today by a fierce fire which broke out shortly before 4 a.m. Despite the efforts of the Cardiff Fire Brigade, police, and civilian volunteers, it proved impossible to save either the stand or the players’ dressing rooms, together with various offices of the club. A strong wind fanned the flames, and the blaze could be seen for miles around, though the adjoining stands were saved.

As a result of the fire, the Third Division (Southern Section) League match between Cardiff City and Millwall, due to take place at Cardiff on Wednesday, has had to be postponed. No date has yet been fixed for the fixture, but it will probably be played later in the season, sometime in April.

Ninian Park in 1910

An extract from the Nottingham Post published on 18th January 1937 read;

The main centre stand at Ninian Park, the ground of the Cardiff City Football Club, was reduced to a skeleton to-day by a fierce fire which broke out shortly before 4 a.m. The Cardiff fire brigade, police and civilian volunteers were unable to save either the stand or the players’ dressing rooms, and various offices of the club. A strong wind fanned the flames, and the blaze could be seen for miles around. The adjoining stands were saved.

Mr. Barley Wilson, assistant secretary of the Cardiff City Club, said today that all the club’s kit had also been destroyed. Although the club’s offices were burnt out, one of the two black cats which serve as mascots of the club was found still crouching in a corner of an office, frightened but unharmed. No trace, however, could be found of the other cat or of the club’s pedigree Airedale watchdog.

Arrangements are now being made for the provision of temporary dressing rooms and offices beneath the concrete stand, in preparation for the forthcoming match with Crystal Palace on Saturday.

Members of Cardiff C.I.D. are investigating the possibility that the fire was caused by thieves who may have entered the offices during the early hours of the morning. Officials of the club discovered an empty petrol tin near the safe in the outer office, and state positively that no petrol tins had been kept in the offices before the outbreak of the fire.