Luton Airport car park fire was accidental, fire service report says

Handout screen grab from video issued by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service a fire at a car park at Luton Airport On Tuesday. All flights at the airport have been suspended. Issue date: Wednesday October 11, 2023. Credit: Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service
Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service say the fire was started accidentally. Credit: Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service

A fire which caused an airport car park to collapse was started accidentally, according to a new report.

As many as 1,500 cars may have been destroyed by the 12-hour blaze, which closed London Luton Airport and caused disruption for tens of thousands of passengers.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the fire, which started on the evening of 10 October 2023 and saw aircraft grounded until the following day.

Following the fire, a joint investigation took place between Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service which finished this week.

The report states that "all evidence points to the most probable cause being an electrical fault or component failure, which started in the engine bay of a vehicle while it was in motion".

While the owner of the diesel car tried to fight the fire, the vehicle was overrun with flames and the fire spread to other parked cars, it said.

Earlier this week it was announced that a man who was arrested in connection with the fire would face no further action.

In January, work began to demolish the burnt-out car park.

A full incident report is expected to be published in the summer.

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