A report has been published by Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service (BFRS) over a car park fire at Luton Airport.
Fire broke out in Terminal Car Park 2 at Luton Airport on the evening of October 10th last year, in an incident that caused a partial collapse within the building and destroyed most of the over 1,300 cars parked in the facility.
The incident lead to four firefighters and an employee of an agency employed by Luton Airport requiring hospital treatment, although no members of the public were harmed.
In the aftermath of the incident, a multi-agency report lead by BFRS has concluded a sprinkler system would’ve helped to reduce the fire sooner and recommended the government is to carry out further research on car park design and fires in car parks.
The incident began at around 8:40pm on the night of October 10th, when a diesel Range Rover car entered the facility to park but where smoke was already coming through the vehicle.
In their findings, the investigation concluded the fire started through either an electrical fault or component failure within the engine bay of the vehicle whilst it was in motion.
The fire in the vehicle escalated by the time the driver had reached the third floor of the facility, when fire spread to other components in the vehicle, 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 driver was the first person to call the fire service regarding the blaze.
By 9:40pm, the fire had been upgraded to being a major incident after spreading to most cars parked on the third floor, leading to the closure of the airport to air and road traffic and fire crews from across Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Buckinghamshire being called to help control the blaze.
The fire would ultimately be brought under control by 10am the following morning, with flights resuming at 3pm on the afternoon of October 11 2023.
The Terminal Car Park 2 facility had first opened in 2019, but the damage in the incident saw total collapse of floors in the site. The version of the site damaged in the fire did not have a fire sprinkler system in it’s design.
In the aftermath, the site has been demolished, with Luton Airport confirming they intend to build a new car park on the site.
BFRS stated that the report has identified areas for improvement, particularly in fire safety measures for multi-storey car parks. One of the conclusions drawn is that, “if there had been a suitable sprinkler system, it may have changed and delayed the fire spread.”
The service’s Chief Fire Officer Andy Hopkinson said in a statement, “Evidence derived from global research demonstrates the effectiveness of sprinklers in controlling fires in car parks, with property loss about 95 per cent lower than that of an uncontrolled fire. We will be using the learning from this incident to support the National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC) in lobbying for a change in national guidance and legislation to make the provision of automatic water suppression systems (AWSS), such as sprinklers, a requirement in multi-storey car parks.”
Councillor Jacqui Burnett, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Authority Chair, said in a statement that they had praise for how the fire department handled the challenge.
Cllr Burnett said, “The fire presented challenges, but I am incredibly proud of the rapid response and professionalism shown by our teams and our partners. The operation not only safeguarded the airport but also highlighted the strength of the Service’s multi-agency coordination. While our firefighters managed to contain and successfully extinguish the fire, reports like these are essential to ensure the Service learns and continues to improve its response in the future.”