Six months after the horrifying blaze at Luton Airport, hundreds of burnt-out cars remain stranded
The aftermath of the blaze that ripped through Luton Airport’s car park shows several cars left burnt to a crisp and stranded - including an £80k Porsche hanging off the edge
New images show the burnt out remains of hundreds of vehicles at Luton Airport’s car park – six months on from the horror blaze that ripped through the structure last year.
The airport’s short stay car park burst into flames in October after a diesel car became overrun with flames. The area is still being demolished as several untouched vehicles remain inside the mangled building – including a £80,000 Porsche untouched by the fire but hanging over the edge of the structure.
So far, insurance costs to motorists who had left their cars there whilst on holiday has run into over £10million. The neighbouring surviving car park is still open to the public and filled with cars, but the cost to park at Luton is the highest of all the London airports, despite customers now having to walk a quarter of a mile to the terminal, or wait in a queue to catch the shuttle bus.
The massive fire, which broke out at around 9pm on Tuesday, October 10, is said to have destroyed more than 1,400 cars and was declared a major incident with more than 100 firefighters tackling it at its height. The flames had spread across multiple floors of the car park, causing the structure to partically collapse.
All Luton flights were at one point suspended on the night of the fire as emergency services dealt with the blaze. Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation, while another firefighter was treated at the scene. Footage posted on social media showed flames and smoke tearing through cars parked at the newly-built airport car park.
A Porsche worth £80,000 can be seen hanging off the edge of the structure ( Image: w8media)
More than 15 crews from Bedfordshire Fire Service tackled the blaze with nearby residents advised to close their windows to avoid the smoke. A brigade spokesman said: "One half of the structure is fully involved in fire and the building has suffered a significant structural collapse.
"Fire crews are working to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on air side of the airport." In an update at 8.45am, the fire service confirmed the blaze had been extinguished, and that four crews remain on the scene", they added.
Bedfordshire Fire Service confirmed that the fire was caused by a diesel car, and a subsequent investigtaion found that ‘all evidence’ pointed towards the cause most probably ‘being an electrical fault or component failure’ in the engine bay while the vehicle was moving.
The site is still being demolished, six months on from the horror blaze ( Image: w8media)
A spokesperson previously said: "Two fire engines, an aerial platform and the incident command unit remain at the scene of the fire currently. Crews continue to work with airport fire service to monitor hot spots. The fire service can confirm the initial vehicle involved in the fire was a diesel car. An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is underway. Main roads around the area are all open."
A furious car owner who spoke out after the horror incident said he was given "no information" about his BMW trapped inside the Airport’s burned-out multi storey car park. The man, who did not want to be named, left the car on the third floor, where the fire is believed to have started, with his flight from Albania due to land today before being redirected to Cardiff. He bought the car two years ago for £35,000 and claims he had to break into his own house on Wednesday after leaving his keys inside.
Insurance costs to motorists has run into over £10m ( Image: w8media)
He said: "I thought it was convenient to drive the car and just to walk there [to Luton Airport], but that convenience happened to be very inconvenient," said the 37-year-old from Lightwater, Surrey. "My house keys, my business keys, lots of paperwork, trainers, lots of stuff, sunglasses, lots of normal belongings but important belongings [were left in the car].
The man added: "I think my car is okay because I can see the car beneath [on the second floor], and that’s okay. My car is right one level above, but I can’t see. I was begging [the security] just to go by the side, just to see. I was just going to go just by the edge. I will have to get rental cars, or borrow a car from a friend, I can’t be without driving, and they won’t give me anything. What can you do?"
Beds Fire & Rescue Service said the fire was caused by a diesel car ( Image: w8media)
More than 30,000 passengers were met with disruptions to their journeys as a result of the fire, figures suggest. PA news agency analysis of flight data websites found at least 150 flights due to take off or land at the airport were cancelled. A further 27 arrivals were diverted to airports as far away as Cardiff, Liverpool and Manchester, while many other flights were delayed.
A construction worker appears to be breaking down larger parts of the structure ( Image: w8media)
The Bedfordshire Fire Service told nearby residents to close their windows to avoid the smoke. A brigade spokesman said at the time: "One half of the structure is fully involved in fire and the building has suffered a significant structural collapse.
"Fire crews are working to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on air side of the airport." In an update at 8.45am, the fire service confirmed the blaze had been extinguished, and that four crews remain on the scene.
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