Summary

  • Flights have resumed from Luton Airport after a large fire at a terminal car park on Tuesday evening

  • Tens of thousands of passengers are thought to be caught up in the disruption

  • Footage has emerged of a burning car, which could have started the massive car park fire

  • Terminal Car Park 2 suffered a "significant structural collapse" following the blaze, the fire service says

  • Up to 1,500 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time

  • Fire service says the blaze appears to have been accidental

Live Reporting

Writer: Rachael McMenemy. Edited by Richard Haugh

  1. Floors 'pancaked' at car park

    Damage shows how floors have collapsed on top of each other and carsPA Media

    The Bedfordshire fire chief says floors "pancaked" on top of each other, causing a structural collapse

    Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service fire chief Andy Hopkinson said: "What we've had, because it's affected a number of floors, is a significant structural collapse of all four floors.

    "The floors, have what we call, pancaked onto each other."

    Structural engineers had been on site throughout the morning, he said.

  2. Rail service still out of operation

    For passengers planning to arrive by rail, the Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) is still unavailable.

    However, replacement buses are running to the airport.

    Extra staff are on hand to help passengers on site once they arrive.

  3. Passengers heading for terminal

    A steady stream of passengers pulling suitcases are heading towards the terminal in the hope of getting on a plane.

    Luton Airport says flights are still due to resume at 15:00 BST.

    Passengers walking past a car park to get to the airport terminalCatherine Byaruhanga/BBC

  4. 'We have to drive to Inverness for brother's funeral'

    One passenger was meant to be flying to Inverness for his eldest brother's funeral tomorrow.

    Instead he's having to go and pick up his car to drive 531 miles (855km).

    "We'll get a cab back to the Airparks, where parked the car and we're going to have to drive to Inverness," he said.

    "In 12 hours we should get to Inverness."

    He said communication from his airline had been good.

  5. Arrivals board filled with cancelled flights

    An information board at Luton Airport, which has been closed with flights suspended until at least 13:00 BST on WednesdayPA Media

    Flights may be due to depart at 15:00 BST but the arrivals information board at Luton Airport illustrates how much disruption has been caused today by the fire.

    Every flight alert has a red "cancelled" update next to it, apart from the 14:35 BST Krakow flight, which says it is due in at 15:06.

  6. Passengers enter terminal as flights expected to depart

    We've had a further update from Luton Airport.

    In a post on X, formerly known as Twitter, the airport has said the first passengers are now re-entering the terminal and flights are expected to depart from 15:00 BST.

  7. In pictures: Passengers in limbo before reopening

    Flights are currently due to resume at around 15:00 BST, so stick with us and we'll bring you any updates on that front.

    With tens of thousands of passengers affected by the closure, quite a few people are stuck both in and outside Luton Airport as it stands.

    Passengers wait inside Luton Airport departures, one woman is speaking on the phone, while another is looking at herPA Media
    Passengers wait inside Luton Airport departures, one woman has her feet up on a suitcase while another is resting his arms and head on a suitcase.PA Media
    Passengers with suitcases look at the burned-out carparkPassengers with suitcases look at the burned-out carparkPA Media
    Passengers with suitcases walk away from the airportPA Media

  8. Planned strikes cancelled after fire

    Cleaning staff and parking attendants at Luton Airport who are members of the Unite union were due to hold strikes over the coming days.

    These have been called off following the fire.

    The cleaners were planning to walk out for five days from Saturday, while parking attendants were set to strike for a week from Friday.

    It is not clear yet if the strikes will be rescheduled.

  9. Woman greeted by thick smoke as she went to collect car

    Car park on fire at Luton AirportJan Maxwell

    Jan Maxwell took this photo as she watched the fire take hold

    Jan Maxwell, 63, from Bedfordshire, tried to collect her car from the third floor of the car park last night after a trip to Dublin. But when the lift doors opened she was greeted with "thick black smoke".

    "I don’t think people were realising the severity of what was going to happen," she says.

    "Then we started hearing cars popping as they were exploding.

    "It was just a couple of cars on fire, then within literally 10 minutes they were pushing us back towards the airport building.

    "All of a sudden one side was alight, and then the other side, and the flames were just getting higher."

    She managed to return to ground level safely and was picked up from the airport by her son-in-law.

    "I was quite upset. I am a widow on my own so my car is my lifeline out.

    "But at the end of the day, as my son and daughter have said, it is just a car. I’m out safely and that’s the main thing."

  10. Family returning to Israel delayed

    A passenger called Fiona says she is anxious about what has been happening in her homeland of Israel since she has been away.

    She had been in Manchester and was due to get a flight home with her son to reunite with the rest of her family after several days of intense violence in Israel and Gaza.

    Two of her sons are soldiers and she says her other son, who she is travelling with, is worried about their safety.

    On heading back to Israel, she said: "It’s scary, it wasn’t clear to us what we’re going to do, if it was better for us to be here or better for us to be there.

    "My son really wants to go back, he wants to be near his brothers, he wants to be with his friends because he will feel really alone, and at least there we have more support around us.

    "I have two sons that are soldiers and their dad is at home at the moment, we already know people that have died and people that have been abducted. [There are] no words for it."

  11. Watch: Reporter Janine Machin at the scene

    BBC reporter Janine Machin shows the aftermath of the fire and how close the car park is to the runway.

    Luton Airport fire: Janine Machin reports at the scene

  12. Family slept on airport floor after flight cancelled

    A Polish family who were on holiday in London have described how they slept on the airport floor.

    The Szmits were due to fly to Gdansk at 21:50 last night, but are now scheduled to leave at 19:30 tonight.

    Girgor Szmit, speaking from the terminal building where he is waiting with his wife and their two sons, described their challenging first journey to England as an "adventure".

    His wife, Agnieske, told the PA news agency that the pair had missed work today and their kids - aged seven and 15 - should have been at school.

    She said they were forced to sleep on the floor and benches in the terminal building, after authorities initially tried to get them to go outside in the cold.

    "They tried to evacuate us but they didn't say where, just go outside and follow the crowds."

  13. At the scene: People look a little lost

    Louise Parry
    BBC News

    The backs of passengers at Luton AirportPA Media

    I've been here for about three hours and there are a lot of people walking up and down, including staff trying to go to work and passengers now arriving for flights today.

    Everyone is on foot as taxis and buses still can't get through. It's quieter than normal without the noise of traffic.

    People are sitting on suitcases and the grassy banks near the road, staring at their phones and looking a little lost.

    Inside the terminal, people including children are sleeping on the floor. All of the cafes are full and more passengers are sitting on the floor.

    People tell me staff were caring and helpful once passengers were allowed back inside, but there is some frustration at the lack of information.

  14. Passenger's van is stuck in car park

    Chris Meacey pointing at the car park where his van is trappedKate Bradbrook/BBC

    Chris Meacey, 57, from Oxfordshire, says his van is stuck in the car park.

    He was staying in a hotel near the airport and arrived at the terminal at about 03:00 BST for his flight.

    But when he got close there were "flames and explosions" coming from the car park.

    "It was horrific, there were flames coming out, petrol tanks exploding," he says.

    "People were crying for obvious reasons - they didn't know what was going on."

    He says he is "gutted" but thankful to be safe.

    Chris says he uses the van for work and is concerned at not being able to get it back for some time.

  15. What should passengers do?

    Any passengers with flights affected by the suspensions are being told to contact their airlines.

    EasyJet and Wizz Air have both said customers will be contacted, but you should check the status of your flight.

    However, if you booked through a third party, you should contact them directly.

    Luton Airport is advising that you do not travel to the airport, as access routes to the terminal are still restricted.

    Anyone with queries about parking should contact the airport's customer services team.

    Flights have been suspended until at least 15:00 BST.

  16. Burnt out cars visible in wreckage

    The shells of burnt out cars are visible amidst the wreckage of the car park.

    Burnt out shells of cars that are also flattenedPA Media
    Cars in the wreckagePA Media

    The blaze is thought to have been started when a diesel car caught fire

    Burnt out car shells and concretePA Media

    The fire broke out at about 20:45 BST on Tuesday and spread rapidly, the fire service said

  17. What we know so far

    Crews battled a huge blaze in a car park at Luton Airport overnight. Here's what we know so far:

    • A fire broke out on level three of the terminal two car park at about 20:45 BST on Tuesday
    • It is thought to have started in a diesel car and spread rapidly
    • A major incident was declared but has now been stood down
    • The fire, which caused "significant structural collapse", has now been extinguished
    • All flights at the airport have been suspended until at least 15:00 and thousands of people are expected to be affected
    • Four firefighters and a staff member were treated for smoke inhalation
    • A ramp is being dug to begin the removal of some cars

    For anyone who isn't sure exactly where Luton airport is, we've also made this map:

    Locator map showing Luton airport location to the north of London, as well as the location of Luton airport in east Luton. The location of the fire in theTerminal 2 car part is also marked..

  18. No damage to new £290m driverless train

    A Dart train pulling into the stationsbna

    The fire service said crews were able to keep the blaze away from the recently opened driverless shuttle link, which operates between the airport and train station.

    The Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit (Dart) opened in March and has seen some controversy over the price of a ticket, which costs £4.90 for a four-minute journey - more than double the bus fare - along the 1.4 mile (2.2km) track.

    The chief executive of the company running the train service defended the cost, saying it may be expensive per mile of journey but its "value is huge".

    Luton Rising, of which Luton Borough Council is the sole shareholder, funded the £290m project.

    One of the first passengers to use Dart was the King, who made the trip during a visit to Luton in December.

    King Charles smiling as he rides a Dart train in December 2022PA Media

  19. Passengers had to walk along busy road in the dark

    Jackie Evans

    Robin and Jackie Evans, from Portsmouth, say they feel exhausted after their flight from Naples to Luton was diverted to Stansted.

    "We overheard they were putting on a shuttle bus but we had to sit on it for half an hour before it left and we were then dumped at Luton Airport Parkway," Jackie says.

    "We had to walk for half an hour in the dark on a dual carriageway to get to our hotel and we have only had two and a half hours sleep so we are completely shattered."

  20. 'Substantial number of cars not damaged' - fire chief

    A digger is being used to create a new ramp at the car park to try and remove unaffected cars.Kate Bradbrook/BBC

    Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, says a "substantial number" of vehicles in the car park were not damaged.

    He says a ramp is being built at the side of the car park to allow vehicles to be removed, and the fire has been "stood down from a major incident".

    "There is a substantial number that are not damaged and our focus as well is can we remove those vehicles safely without causing any danger to the responders?"

    He says a ramp is being installed "into the unaffected car park because the normal exit route is not safe to take vehicles out".