While car fires are nothing new, it’s rare for them to be on such a significant scale as the huge fire that engulfed a car park at Luton Airport last week.
Receiving widespread media attention, it was the airport’s relatively new ‘Car Park 2’ that was engulfed in flames, with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service receiving a report about the blaze on level three of the terminal’s car park last Tuesday (October 10).
It led to significant disruption, with the airport being closed for 18 hours and 100 firefighters working for over 12 hours to put out the blaze. As a result, 235 flights were cancelled, affecting the plans of around 40,000 passengers.
But what caused the fire, how many cars are affected and what happens if you get caught in a situation like that? We have the answers.
What caused Luton airport car park fire?
Initial online speculation pointed to the fire being started when an electric vehicle was ablaze inside the car park. However, this has now been dismissed, with the fire now believed to have been started by a diesel vehicle.
Popular footage which was shared widely online appears to show a Range Rover in flames in a car park, though it hasn’t been confirmed that this was actually in Luton Airport car park. A full investigation will be carried out in due course to establish the cause, though Luton Airport has already faced criticism for not having sprinklers installed in the building - though these aren’t legally required.
Update (23rd Oct): Police have now confirmed that a man in his 30s has been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage and has since been released on bail. Specifically what his involvement was in the fire is unclear as a vehicle fault is still said to be the cause.
How many cars were in the car park at the time?
Car Park 2, where the Luton Airport fire took place, has a capacity of 1,500 vehicles. The airport, along with its parking partner APCOA, has said it has been ‘working around the clock to gather the relevant information and all necessary legal approvals’ to be able to pass the list of vehicle registration numbers to the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB). This is the only central record of all insured vehicles in the UK and is updated daily by insurers and used by the police and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Authority (DVLA).
As of October 18, APCOA says it has passed on 1,405 number plates to the MIB, which then notified individual insurance companies. It added that a ‘small number remain outstanding, due to the need for further verification’.
Are any cars and belongings salvageable from the Luton Airport fire?
You will likely have seen plenty of photographs from the Luton Airport fire, and in many photos, you can see the burnt shell of many cars – it’s worth noting that the structure partially collapsed too. But you can also see that some cars, especially on lower levels, still look perfectly fine.
Due to the damage to the car park, work is currently ongoing to see what can be done to retrieve the cars. However, Neil Thompson, operations director at Luton Airport, said earlier this week that there ‘has been no change to the initial assessment that most vehicles will be unsalvageable’. Even if vehicles ‘survived’, they might still be ruined elsewhere by smoke and heat damage.
APCOA has said it is working with the Association of British Insurers, which represents the insurance industry, to see if it’s ‘possible to retrieve any vehicles and personal possessions’.
Luton Airport says that customers can’t access the site themselves as it’s unsafe.
What happens with your car insurance if it’s involved in a mass fire?
Luton Airport isn’t the only location to suffer a significant car park fire in recent years as on New Year's Eve 2017, a huge blaze engulfed a multi-storey next to the Liverpool Echo Arena. Around 1,200 vehicles were in the car park at the time.
Despite this, it wasn’t until November 2018 that the demolition started to take place because of the time it took for Liverpool City Council, motorists and insurers to reach an agreement. The few cars that did survive were taken to a secure compound where owners were able to retrieve belongings that were in the cars at the time.
In the first instance, if you find your car trapped in a mass car park fire like this, you should speak to your insurer and never put yourself at risk to retrieve the vehicle or any belongings.
Once the MIB has your vehicle details, it means that insurance claims can start to be processed. As long as your vehicle is fully insured and all details are correct, you shouldn’t have to pay.
In the case of Luton Airport, loss adjusters – a claims specialist who investigates complex claims on an insurer’s behalf to establish the cause of a loss – visited the site and reviewed photos and video from the airport. APCOA says it is ‘still awaiting their formal assessment’.