Luton Airport car park fire was 'accidental', says fire service

The fire broke out at about 20:45 BST on 10 October and soon flames could be seen from the top floor of the Terminal Car Park 2

A fire that destroyed more than 1,400 vehicles at Luton Airport was "accidental", a report has revealed.

The blaze broke out in Terminal Car Park 2 at about 20:45 BST on 10 October and "rapidly escalated".

In a joint report, Bedfordshire's fire and police services said the most probable cause was an electrical fault or a component failure in a moving diesel vehicle.

It became "overrun with flames" which spread to other vehicles, it said.

At its height, more than 100 firefighters tackled the blaze, which saw aircraft grounded until the following day, the fire service said.

Cars from the top level of the car park were removed to make it more stable at the end of October

A fire service spokeswoman said: "As a result of the investigation, all evidence points to the most probable cause being an electrical fault or component failure, which started in the engine bay of the vehicle whilst it was in motion.

"The developing fire spread to other components, and whilst the owner of the vehicle attempted to fight the fire, the vehicle became overrun with flames and spread to other parked vehicles."

• What happens next after Luton Airport car park fire?

• Dismantling of airport's fire-hit car park starts

• Luton airport fire car park to be demolished

The report confirmed the vehicle was "diesel-powered" and not "a mild hybrid, plug-in hybrid or electric vehicle".

The fire service declared a major incident and worked with a number of organisations to get it "under control and protect vital infrastructure including neighbouring car park and the Luton DART".

A man who was arrested after the fire was released without charge, police confirmed.

A Luton Airport spokeswoman welcomed the findings, adding: "The painstaking process of safely clearing the site continues, with over half the structure removed so far."

In November it said it would be "fully demolished" after structural reports found it unsound and the work began in January.

The flames spread across several floors of the car park and caused it to partially collapse, destroying hundreds of parked cars within it.

A full incident report is expected to be published in the summer.