Luton Airport fire: Revelation of the Cause Behind Car Park Inferno Damaging 1,500 Vehicles

The cause behind the extensive blaze that wreaked havoc at London’s Luton Airport, damaging up to 1,500 cars and causing widespread travel disruptions, has been disclosed.

Over 100 firefighters worked tirelessly through the night to quell the inferno in the car park, resulting in tens of thousands of passengers contending with flight cancellations or diversions.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service announced on Wednesday morning that the fire’s origin was a diesel-powered car.

“We don’t believe it was an electric vehicle,” stated Andrew Hopkinson, Chief Fire Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. “It’s believed to be diesel-powered, at this stage all subject to verification. And then that fire has quickly and rapidly spread.”

The fire, which erupted on the third floor of the newly-constructed Terminal 2 car park around 9pm on Tuesday, potentially inflicted damage on up to 1,500 vehicles. The car park suffered a partial collapse due to the blaze.

Addressing the media at the scene, Mr. Hopkinson reported, “On arrival, my officers were confronted with a severe and swiftly advancing fire involving a substantial number of vehicles that ultimately extended to multiple levels and led to a partial collapse of the car park.”

The major incident status was rescinded after the fire was brought under control on Wednesday morning.

Flights resumed on Wednesday afternoon, with the delayed 1pm Ryanair flight to Cork finally departing at 3:30pm – 18 hours after the last plane took off on Tuesday evening.

AA technical expert, Greg Carter, stated that the primary cause of car fires often lies in an electrical fault within the 12-volt battery system. He further noted that diesel is considerably less flammable than petrol and requires intense pressure or a sustained flame to ignite.

While no members of the public reported injuries, five individuals, including four firefighters and an airline official, received treatment at the hospital.

There is no indication that the blaze was deliberate.

Approximately 40,000 to 50,000 passengers are estimated to have been affected by 273 flights being either suspended, cancelled, or redirected.

A Polish family vacationing in London recounted having to sleep on the floor at Luton Airport due to the fire. Gregorz Szmit, 46, explained that their flight to Gdansk was scheduled for 9.50pm on Tuesday but is now set for departure at 7.30pm on Wednesday.

Mr. Szmit, speaking from the terminal where he waits with his wife and two sons aged seven and 15, shared, “We were on holiday for five days to visit London – British Museum, Trafalgar Square. This is difficult, I must say. This is our first journey to England, to London. It’s been an adventure.”

Reportedly, airport hotels near Luton were fully booked, leaving passengers uncertain about their travel arrangements.

The fire service posted on Twitter on Wednesday morning, “The fire service have now scaled back at Luton Airport and this is no longer a major incident. A number of agencies have been released from the scene and we continue to work with colleagues from the airport and police.”

They added that the fire service would remain at the scene for the rest of the day after extinguishing the fire.

Mr. Hopkinson also informed reporters on-site that there were no sprinklers in the car park.

He stated, “We are already talking to the airport about ensuring that any future, and the existing, car parks have sprinklers fitted because this building is not sprinkler protected. Sprinklers may have made a positive impact on this incident.”

For those with affected cars, they have been advised to consult the Luton Airport website for further information.

Mr. Hopkinson told reporters that a ramp is being installed “into the unaffected car park because the normal exit route is not safe to take vehicles out”.

He continued, “We’ve currently got four fire appliances and a couple of other specialist crews but we are very much focused on getting a handover and getting this airport open as quickly as we can. There is a substantial number that are not damaged and our focus as well is can we remove those vehicles safely without causing any danger to the responders.”

A senior fire officer informed The Independent that the fire inside the car park was so intense that the entire structure may need to be demolished.

“They’ll probably fly a drone around to assess the damage,” they explained. “But once steel gets above 600 degrees [C] it becomes brittle. It was a lot more than 600 degrees in there.”

While the airport reopened at 3pm on Wednesday, airlines have issued statements warning their customers of further disruption.

An EasyJet spokesperson said, “While the airport has now partially reopened there are restrictions in place which means that like other airlines we are operating a significantly reduced flying programme for the remainder of the day so some flights are unable to operate as planned.”

Meanwhile, Ryanair stated that affected passengers will be notified via email, Push, and SMS as soon as possible but “regret to advise passengers of possible delays or cancellations on flights to/from Luton.”

Wizz Air similarly assured customers that they would receive updates on their flight via email and SMS and apologised for the situation, which was “beyond our control”.