More than 16,000 people seek answers over devastating Luton car park fire
More than 16,000 people have been contacting Luton Airport after a fire at one of its car parks damaged vehicles and created travel disruption earlier this week.
Up to 1,500 vehicles were affected when the airport's multistorey Terminal Car Park 2 became engulfed in flames on Tuesday. Drivers with vehicles still inside the structure said on Friday they had been offered "no help" as it cannot currently be accessed safely.
The blaze caused the car park to partially collapse, with the debris of some cars piled up within its blackened storeys. A London Luton Airport spokesperson said: "Since Tuesday night's incident, together with Apcoa Parking we have responded to almost 16,500 customer queries. Dealing with such a large volume of questions has naturally taken longer than we would have liked. Although we don't have all the answers at this stage, we are working hard to provide more details as soon as possible."
Flights were suspended following the fire (PA)
The burnt-out shells of cars buried amongst debris in the car park (PA)The spokesperson also said the Motor Insurers' Bureau will be co-ordinating claims with all insurers, and that staff were on hand to assist those arriving at the airport. Apcoa Parking said in a statement on Friday the fire had caused "extensive damage", but it could not confirm the condition of any particular vehicle. The airport's Dart rail transit system, which opened earlier this year, also remains closed.
Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said up to 1,500 vehicles were inside the car park at the time of the fire. Katie Forbes, 42, who lives on the outskirts of Coventry, had travelled to Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands with her husband, daughter and her daughter's boyfriend, due to return on Friday.
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Having parked their car in Car Park 2, the group were forced to hire a car for their return, with no information regarding the state of their vehicle. Ms Forbes said on Tuesday: "I've had no joy with Luton. I've heard nothing back, I've been tweeting them, everything, and nothing.
"I get it, they're getting other people that are going to the airport, but to me there's been no apology, not once has anybody said 'we're sorry about the situation'. We're kind of left in limbo."
The car park remains closed (AFP via Getty Images)It is estimated up to 30,000 passengers faced disruption as flights were cancelled or diverted. The blaze is believed to have started with a diesel-powered vehicle "and then that fire has quickly and rapidly spread", Mr Hopkinson said.
Footage posted on social media showed flames and smoke tearing through cars in the newly-built car park. 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."
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