The stand was a beautifiul, quintessentially British football structure, I miss it even now. Simon Inglis (author) described it as his favourite, "like watching football from a Sopwith Camel".
The roof was an iron/bitumen/wood canopy and one that had been leaking and bodged/patched for decades. The canopy and it's materials were perfect for a fireball. Underneath the seats were "kick panels", which would be lifted and (I assume) the litter/debris from match days, swept under. A little while previous I had attended a reserve game and was surprised to find a cat & kittens had taken up residence behind one of the panels. On May 11th 1985 as I was clambering over seats towards the pitch, I remembered them and was upset, silly really.
The stand was built on earth, on a steep slope, you entered the stand from street level into the very top and made your way down to the seats or paddock, as the fire took hold, people did the natural thing, I didn't, they went back to where they had entered, but the gates were now locked.
Rip the 56