Luton airport fire caused by vehicle fault, as man arrested as precaution

The airport was forced to shut, leaving around 25,000 passengers suffering flight disruptions
Lydia Chantler-Hicks23 October 2023
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A man has been arrested after a huge fire at a Luton Airport car park - which police believe was caused by a vehicle fault.

The devastating blaze broke out on the evening of Tuesday, October 10.

The multi-storey Terminal Car Park 2 later collapsed, causing Luton Airport to shut and leaving around 25,000 passengers suffering flight disruption.

A man in his 30s was arrested by Bedfordshire Police last week on suspicion of criminal damage.

It is believed the man was arrested as a precaution, and the police investigation so far suggests the fire started accidentally due to a vehicle fault.

He has been released on bail while police continue to investigate.

Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said up to 1,500 vehicles were inside the car park at the time of the fire.

In a statement, Luton Airport previously said it is “unlikely that any vehicles in the car park will be salvageable” but added this was “still in the process of being assessed”.

Following the blaze, it emerged the car park, which opened in 2019, did not appear to have a sprinkler system.

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