Luton Airport fire: Video shows moment huge fireball engulfs car park
As many as 1,500 vehicles are thought to be have been in the car park at the time of the fire.
Wednesday 11 October 2023 19:04, UK
Video footage has shown the moment a huge fireball exploded and engulfed a Luton Airport car park, with pictures revealing the extent of damage caused to vehicles.
The images show burnt-out cars buried among debris following the partial collapse of the car park during Tuesday night's blaze - as flights were suspended until 3pm on Wednesday.
As many as 1,500 vehicles are thought to have been in the car park at the time of the fire - with up to 1,200 believed to be damaged.
A temporary ramp has been installed to enable undamaged vehicles to be removed.
The fire service said one-half of the car park was "fully involved in the fire" and that the building has suffered a "significant structural collapse".
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service declared a major incident at 9.38pm on Tuesday and, at its peak, had 15 fire engines, three specialist aerial appliances and more than 100 firefighters at the scene.
The East England Ambulance Service said four firefighters and one member of airport staff were taken to Luton and Dunstable Hospital following the fire.
Another patient was discharged at the scene.
All flights were suspended until 3pm on Wednesday.
"The runway is now open, and flights are beginning to arrive and depart," a spokesperson told Sky News shortly before 4pm.
"Additional staff remain on hand to assist passengers across the airport."
The first plane to land at the airport was a Wizz Air flight from Cardiff. A Ryanair flight from Luton to Lanzarote took off shortly before 4pm.
It is thought around 25,000 airline passengers were impacted by cancellations and delays, according to analysis by the Press Association (PA).
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Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer at Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said firefighters faced a "severe and rapidly spreading fire" on arrival, and the blaze "ultimately spread to multiple floors".
Mr Hopkinson said there was "no intelligence to suggest it's anything other than an accidental fire that started in one of the vehicles".
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Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed on Wednesday that the initial vehicle involved in the fire was a diesel car.
"An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is underway," a spokesperson for the service said.
Meanwhile, Mr Hopkinson urged those due to travel on Wednesday to check with their airline for updates.
Overnight, firefighters were attempting to put out the enormous blaze and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on the airport runway.
In an update at 8.45am on Wednesday, the fire service said it had "controlled and extinguished" the blaze, but urged people to avoid the area due to "severe traffic delays".
"Four crews and an aerial appliance remain at the scene," the service said on X, formerly known as Twitter.
"All flights are suspended until 3pm. If you have a flight leaving before 3pm, please do not travel. Please avoid the area owing to severe traffic delays."
The fire service stood down its major incident on Wednesday morning.
In a statement on X, Luton Airport said: "Emergency services remain on the scene following last night's fire in Terminal Car Park 2.
"Our priority remains supporting the emergency services and the safety of our passengers and staff. Therefore, we have now taken the decision to suspend all flights until 3pm on Wednesday 11th October.
"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time, as access remains severely restricted.
"For queries relating to a parked vehicle or future booking please contact [email protected].
"Passengers should contact their airline for information regarding their flight."
Flames could be seen tearing through cars parked on an upper floor of Terminal Car Park 2 in videos posted on social media on Tuesday night.
One witness told Sky News: "You could hear cars exploding."