Is this the car that started the London Luton car park fire? Moment vehicle goes up in flames before inferno caused £20m structure to collapse – sparking chaos with all flights cancelled until 3pm and five rushed to hospital
- The inferno was caused by a car fire, London Luton Airport said in a statement
- Luton Airport car park fire LIVE: Follow for latest updates as firefighters tackle huge blaze
- Have you been affected by the chaos? Email [email protected]
Shocking footage has emerged of a vehicle going up in flames at London Luton Airport, before the huge inferno that caused a car park to collapse, cancelling all flights and leaving five people in hospital.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent some 12 hours battling the inferno at the airport’s £20m Terminal Car Park 2 after the multi-storey was engulfed by flames and caved in just before 9pm last night, damaging as many as 1,200 vehicles.
A post by the airport last night suggested the fire started in a single car, but did not give further details. The fire service said just before 9am that the blaze had been controlled and extinguished.
The shocking fire has left hundreds of British holidaymakers stranded in Luton this morning, with no way of getting home, as many took to social media to vent their frustration.
Passengers and even airline staff frantically tried to book hotel rooms so that they’d have somewhere to sleep for the night, but with most at full capacity, many had to sleep in reception.
There was also huge demand for parking this morning, with the airport’s website introducing a queuing system, with desperate passengers having to wait several minutes to even browse the site.
Did you see what happened or have you been affected by the chaos? Email [email protected]
The fire service said up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park – which charges £67.50 per day – at the time of the fire and subsequently damaged, with pictures showing many charred and covered in debris.
For those who had not already made their way to Luton, they are waking up to the prospect of hours of delays too, with no flights before 3pm, and the airport urging passengers to contact their airline for the latest information.
Last night, vehicle alarms and loud explosions were heard as cars were burned through one by one, with a witness describing the speed in which the blaze tore through the newly-built car park’s upper floor as ‘incredible’.
Five people were rushed to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation following an incident that saw more than 100 firefighters on the scene, aided by 15 rescue pumps and three aerial appliances.
Shocking footage has emerged of a vehicle going up in flames at London Luton Airport, before the huge inferno that caused a car park to collapse, cancelling all flights and leaving five people in hospital
A charred section of a parking structure is seen this morning after it caught fire and partially collapsed at London’s Luton Airport
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service continues to battle the inferno at the airport’s Terminal 2 this morning, more than nine hours after the multi-storey was engulfed by flames and caved in just before 9pm last night
As many as 1,200 vehicles were affected by the collapse of the car park at Luton airport last night
A number of cars can be seen badly damaged after the car park collapsed
Firefighters continue to work on making the car park safe this morning following last night’s fire
How Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2 looked prior to the fire which ripped through the building last night
There was also huge demand for parking this morning, with the airport’s website introducing a queuing system, with desperate passengers having to wait several minutes to even browse the site
Luton Airport said flights would remain suspended until 3pm on Wednesday following a fire in a multi-storey car park.
How have flights been affected by the fire at Luton Airport today?
More than 140 flights at London Luton Airport have been cancelled so far today due to the fire, including 73 departures and 70 arrivals.
DEPARTURES CANCELLED – 73
- 25 Wizz Air
- 39 easyJet
- 8 Ryanair
- 1 Air Hamburg
ARRIVALS CANCELLED – 70
- 40 easyJet
- 25 Wizz Air
- 5 Ryanair
ARRIVALS DIVERTED – 11
- 3 to Stansted
- 3 to Cardiff
- 2 to Manchester
- 1 to Liverpool
- 2 to Bristol
The statement said: ‘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.’
More than 140 flights at London Luton Airport have been cancelled so far today due to the fire – including 73 departures and 70 arrivals.
The worst-hit airline was easyJet, which has its base at the hub and was forced to axe 79 flights, including 39 departures and 40 arrivals.
Wizz Air had to cancel 25 departures and 25 arrivals, while Ryanair axed eight departures and five arrivals. One Air Hamburg departure was also cancelled.
In addition, 11 further arrivals early this morning were diverted to other UK airports including London Stansted, Manchester, Liverpool, Cardiff and Bristol.
Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said more than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze at Luton Airport.
Speaking to reporters at the scene this morning, he said: ‘Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service’s fire control received an initial 999 call at 8.47pm yesterday evening, reporting a car on fire on the third floor of the Terminal car park two behind me here at London Luton Airport.
‘Our first two fire appliances arrived on scene just a shade under 10 minutes later to work alongside firefighters from Luton Airport Fire Service.
‘On arrival my officers were faced with a severe and rapidly spreading fire involving a large number of vehicles that ultimately spread to multiple floors and involved a partial collapse of the car park.
‘The incident was declared a major incident at 9.38pm. The car park has a capacity of just over 1,900 cars and we estimate up to 1,500 cars are in the affected car park.
‘At its peak we had 15 fire appliances, over 100 firefighters and a number of specialist resources including the one you will see over my right-hand shoulder, with resources provided by neighbouring fire and rescue services.’
Bedfordshire Police added: ‘We have been part of a multi-agency response overnight to this significant fire at London Luton Airport. We would advise people not to travel to the area if they can.’
Firefighters and an airline official were taken to hospital as emergency services battled the blaze, which broke out at Luton Airport just before 9pm on Tuesday.
Footage of the car on fire at Luton was posted by a member of the Wizz Air cabin crew
Passengers lift their luggage past fire trucks at London’s Luton Airport following the car park collapse
A number of cars have been visibly damaged by the fire, as crews continue to battle it
Firemen stand by their trucks next to a parking lot at London’s Luton Airport following a fire which caused a partial collapse of a parking structure
A witness described the speed in which the blaze tore through the car park’s upper floor as ‘incredible’
A huge fireball was pictured as cars went up in flames, with onlookers saying they heard loud explosions
Pictures show the roof of the structure caving in as flames ripped through cars
Firefighters continue to tackle the damage after the blaze at Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2
Firefighters continue to work on making the car park safe this morning following last night’s inferno
This frame grab from handout video footage taken and released by the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service via AFPTV on October 11, 2023 shows a parking structure on fire at London’s Luton Airport
Firemen stand by their trucks next to a parking lot at London’s Luton Airport following a fire
Cars can be seen badly damaged in the parking lot at Luton Airport following last night’s blaze
People leave the London Luton airport as emergency services respond to a fire
Flames roar at Terminal Car Park 2 at Luton Airport following the huge blaze on Tuesday night
Police keep watch by a road leading to London’s Luton Airport following a fire which caused a partial collapse of a parking structure
Five people were admitted to Luton and Dunstable hospitals for smoke inhalation and a sixth person was treated at the scene but did not require further medical treatment.
Russell Taylor, 41, an account director from Kinross in Scotland, saw the flames after flying in to Luton Airport from Edinburgh.
He said: ‘There were a couple of fire engines with a car ablaze on the upper floor of the car park at just after 9pm.
‘A few minutes later most of the upper floor was alight, car alarms were going off with loud explosions from cars going up in flames.
‘The speed in which the fire took hold was incredible.’
An aerial shot shows the extent of the fire which ripped through the car park on Tuesday night
There are fears that the huge inferno could spread to buildings air side, the fire service said as it battles the blaze
The inferno will no doubt cause worry for British holidaymakers who left their vehicles at the airport before jetting off overseas
Cars are visibly damaged as firefighters battle the inferno
Cars on the top deck of the multi-storey have been left completely burnt out by the huge fire
Vehicle alarms and loud explosions could be heard, with one witness saying the speed in which the blaze tore through the upper floor of the car park was ‘incredible’
Holidaymakers’ flights have been suspended until midday on Wednesday due to the huge fire
Cars were engulfed in flames after one reportedly exploded at the short stay
The newly-built car park partially collapsed, Beds Fire and Rescue service confirmed
Crews from Bedfordshire and neighbouring counties have been urgently battling the blaze, they said, ‘to prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on air side of the airport.’
The short stay building suffered ‘significant structural collapse’ and half of the structure was fully taken over by the fire, the fire service said in an update just after midnight.
Police and ambulance crews also attended the scene and local residents were warned to keep doors and windows closed and avoid the area.
Footage posted on social media shows fire tearing through cars parked at the airport terminal on Tuesday evening, with smoke billowing over the airport’s runway.
The fire raged into the early hours of Wednesday, with Beds Fire service sharing an update just after midnight on Tuesday stating that they were first alerted by calls at 8.47pm on Tuesday.
Russell Taylor, 41, an account director from Kinross in Scotland, saw the flames over the car park as he flew in to Luton Airport from Edinburgh on Tuesday.
Russell Taylor, 41, an account director from Kinross in Scotland, saw the flames after flying in to Luton Airport from Edinburgh
Smoke has been billowing into the air over the runway, with all flights suspended
Police, firefighters and ambulance crews were on the scene, with five people rushed to hospital
Travelers were seen being moved from the area as multiple fire engines and emergency response vehicles arrived at the terminal
Passengers wheel their luggage past fire trucks at London’s Luton Airport following a fire
Firemen battle a fire at London’s Luton Airport which caused a partial collapse of a parking structure
Emergency services respond to the blaze as passengers wheel their luggage in the foreground
People leave the London Luton airport as emergency services respond to a fire in the Terminal Car Park 2
Passengers move away from the airport car park after the dramatic fire last night
People take pictures while leaving London Luton airport as emergency services respond to a fire
Passengers look confused after the huge fire broke out in Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2
The extent of the damage can be seen in Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2 following last night’s fire
He said: ‘There were a couple of fire engines with a car ablaze on the upper floor of the car park at just after 9pm.
‘A few minutes later most of the upper floor was alight, car alarms were going off with loud explosions from cars going up in flames.
‘The speed in which the fire took hold was incredible.’
Eyewitness Molly Bullard described ‘scary scenes’ as the short stay was ‘exploding into flames’.
The airport said on X, formerly known as Twitter: ‘All flights are currently suspended as emergency services respond to a fire in Terminal Car Park 2’
Half of the car park was involved in the fire, firefighters said, with much of the structure left wrecked by the blaze
She said on X: ‘There is no transport in or out of Luton Airport. Passengers are being evacuated to walk on the footpath via the road underpass. All airport buses and vehicles are trapped by road blocks.’
A spokesman for the airport wrote on X on Tuesday evening: ‘Emergency services are currently responding to a car fire in Terminal Car Park 2, restricting access to the airport.’
They later added just after 1am on Wednesday: ‘Emergency services continue to respond to a significant fire in Terminal Car Park 2, which has now resulted in a partial structural collapse.
‘The safety of our passengers and staff remains our main priority. We have therefore taken the decision to suspend all flights until 12pm on Wednesday 11th October.
‘Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time, as access remains severely restricted.’
They urged passengers with queries regarding parked vehicles or future bookings to get in touch and passengers looking for flight information to speak to their airlines.
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