Luton Airport car park fire started accidentally, finds investigation

A fire that broke out in a multi-storey car park at Luton airport in October 2023 started accidentally, an investigation into the incident has found.

Hundreds of cars were destroyed in the fire, which at its peak saw more than 100 firefighters, 15 fire appliances and three specialist aerial appliances involved. Aircraft were also grounded until the following day as a precaution.

At the time, Bedfordshire Chief Fire Officer Andy Hopkinson said the blaze was thought to have started with a diesel vehicle. This theory has now been confirmed following a multi-agency investigation conducted by Bedfordshire Police and Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The investigation concluded that the fire broke out in the engine bay of a vehicle parked in the car park. The likely cause of the fire has been attributed to ‘an electrical fault or component failure.’ which occurred while it was in motion.

The investigation also found that the vehicle involved was diesel-powered, not a mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle (EV). The discovery will welcomed by advocates for battery electric vehicle advocates, some models of which have hit headlines after faults with their batteries caused fires.

A full incident report on the Luton Airport car park fire is expected to be published in summer 2024.

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