No information on the vehicle that started the blaze
Up to 1,500 cars could have been affected by a fire at a Luton Airport multi-storey car park overnight.
The fire service says it was called to reports of the blaze on level three of the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2 at 20:47 BST on Tuesday, October 10. At 21:38, the fire service declared a major incident and all flights at the airport have been cancelled until further notice.
It is thought the blaze began in a car, before spreading throughout the car park and causing “significant structural collapse” of the building. Crews from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire and London Fire Brigade all helped tackle the fire alongside the local Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue service, and the airport’s own fire crews.
The East of England Ambulance Service has said four firefighters and a member of airport staff have been taken to hospital having inhaled smoke, but no other serious injuries have been reported.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has issued a Notice to Aviation (NOTAM) closing the airport to “all [aircraft] movements” until 15:00 BST today. The CAA has also created a restricted area around the airport, effectively preventing aircraft from flying below an altitude of 3,500ft within two-and-a-half nautical miles of the airport without special permission.
EasyJet, one of the main airlines based at Luton, has said about 35 flights are unable to operate as a result of the fire.
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue’s Andy Hopkinson has said there is “no intelligence to suggest it was anything other than an accidental fire,” adding that the blaze started in a vehicle that arrived just before the fire service was called.
Up to 1,500 vehicles were in the 1,900-capacity car park at the time, but it is not known how many have subsequently been damaged in the incident. Hopkinson described the fire as “severe and rapidly-spreading.” He also said he did not know of any sprinkler system in the car park, and observed that the fire service would recommend fitting sprinklers in any future redevelopment of the building.
Footage posted online has shown the fire spreading through the building, with flames leaping from the car park’s open sides. Car alarms and large explosions could be heard as vehicles ignited.
No information yet on the type of car that started the fire
There is currently no indication of what kind of vehicle started the fire, but some posters online have suggested an electric vehicle (EV) or a hybrid car could be at fault. There is no evidence to back up that claim, and it was noted that the publicly available charging points at Luton airport are on level two of the airport’s other multi-storey car park.
Although EV fires are well documented, there’s no evidence to suggest they are any more common than in petrol and diesel vehicles. In fact, the Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency (MSB) found that petrol or diesel cars are 19 times more likely to catch fire than EVs.
However, firefighters have found that electric car fires can be harder to extinguish because of the way the some current battery types burn.
Just last month, firefighters in Sydney attended a fire caused by an EV at Sydney airport, although just five vehicles were destroyed. And this summer, the government released special guidance for the operators of covered car parks to help them deal with EV fires.
Given the prevalence of hybrid and electric vehicles in the new car market, it seems likely that some battery-powered vehicles were involved in the blaze at Luton, which was finally extinguished on Wednesday morning (October 11). However, there’s currently nothing to suggest that an electric car started the fire, the remains of which were still being monitored by four fire crews and one aerial appliance as of 09:00 BST.
Luton Airport has told passengers not to travel to the airport for the time being, as “access remains severely restricted”.
Those concerned about a parked vehicle or a future parking booking are instructed to contact the car park’s management company, while passengers seeking information about a flight should contact their airline.
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Keyword: Up to 1,500 cars involved in multi-storey blaze that closed Luton Airport