Luton airport car park blaze started ‘accidentally’ by fire in diesel car says fire service investigation

A huge fire inside a car park at Luton airport started accidentally, the fire service has confirmed.

A joint investigation by Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service started after the blaze broke out in a multi-storey car park at the airport on October 10. At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the fire, with aircraft grounded until the following day.

The service said: “As a result of the investigation, all evidence points to the most probable cause being an electrical fault or component failure, which started in the engine bay of the vehicle whilst it was in motion.

“The developing fire spread to other components, and whilst the owner of the vehicle attempted to fight the fire, the vehicle became overrun with flames and spread to other parked vehicles.”

The car involved was diesel-powered – not a mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle as rumours suggested.

This news comes after Bedfordshire Police confirmed that a man, who was initially arrested in connection with the incident, would face no further action.

The service added: “When the fire service arrived on the night, crews were faced with a rapidly escalating fire and shortly after, declared a major incident. All those involved in the multi-agency response worked incredibly hard to get the blaze under control and protect vital infrastructure including neighbouring car park and the Luton DART.”

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