Luton Airport car park may have to be demolished after major fire

The new £20 million Luton Airport car park may be demolished after a fire caused major damage to the structure.

A fire officer from London who attended the scene said: “We can’t get close enough to see.

“It’s too dangerous, it will probably fall down on you, so they will probably bring it all down.”

The fire took hold of the multi-­storey car park, which was opened in 2019, at the busy airport on Tuesday night. It resulted in travel chaos, with the runway closed and flights cancelled most of Wednesday. In total, more than 140 flights were cancelled, with an ­estimated 40,000 travellers affected.

The blaze, which started when a diesel SUV caught fire, caused the car park’s floors to collapse, with an estimated 1,200 cars damaged. Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service also revealed the car park did not include a sprinkler system. Under building regulations, these types of car parks do not require sprinklers.

Chris Bigland, the service’s deputy fire chief officer, said: “Significant fires of this type have considerable impact on the integrity of the structures they have damaged, and therefore it is essential that expert advice is sought when considering how best to determine the future of the structure.

“As we now enter the recovery phase, the safest method for removing vehicles will be determined by experts and structural engineers.”

A spokesman for Luton Airport said that it was working with emergency services to understand the next steps, but could not comment further.

On Wednesday, The Telegraph spoke to eyewitnesses who said they heard several explosions before seeing huge flames at the top of the car park.

Chris Meacey, 57, a former policeman and soldier, said: “I woke up at 2.15am, went down to reception and they informed us of the fire.”

Mr Meacey, who had parked his van in the car park, added: “We made our way up and there we saw flames and we heard several explosions of what sounded like fuel tanks.” 

Hundreds of passengers were left stranded in the airport, with many complaining about a lack of communication from the airlines. The runway was reopened just before 4pm but the airport said that it expected continued delays.

On Wednesday evening, the airport’s Dart shuttle remained out of service but its mid-stay and long-stay car parks were fully operational.

Airlines were offering refunds, or new flights, for those affected, while also paying for hotels.