Fire safety warning after Luton Airport car park structural collapse

“A severe fire rapidly spread through the structure and the severity of the fire has caused significant structural collapse,” the service said in a statement.

Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said no sprinkler system was in the car park and that its presence “may have had a positive impact on this incident”.

The car park, which opened four years ago, is now likely to be demolished.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said the initial vehicle involved in the fire was a diesel car and it believed that up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time of the fire.

“An investigation to determine the cause of the fire is underway,” it added.

A statement from the Fire Industry Association, which represents more than 1,000 fire protection companies, said it “reiterates the importance of robust fire safety measures, especially in densely populated and high-traffic areas, to mitigate the risks and impacts of fire incidents”.