A car park at Luton Airport engulfed by fire earlier this week remains shut – with drivers with vehicles inside saying they have been offered “no help”.
Luton Airport said Terminal Car Park 2 cannot be accessed safely so it is “unable to confirm the condition of any individual vehicle at this time”.
Up to 1,500 vehicles remain in the car park, with the debris of some cars piled up within its blackened structure.
Steve Amos, who has a vehicle inside, said: “We’ve been left to our own devices. The airport has offered no help at all.
“We don’t know when we’re going to have a car again or how we’re going to get home now.”
Mr Amos, who flew into Luton Airport on Friday from Palma, Mallorca, said there has been a “total lack of any proper information” from airport authorities.
They haven’t helped the poor people that have come down to try to collect their cars. Nobody’s out here giving them information— Taxi driver
He said he was “astounded” to hear Bedfordshire’s chief fire officer say earlier this week that the car park, which opened in 2019, did not appear to have a sprinkler system.
A taxi driver at the airport who saw the fire on Tuesday night criticised Luton Airport’s response.
“They haven’t helped the poor people that have come down to try to collect their cars. Nobody’s out here giving them information,” he said.
The driver, who did not wish to be named, also criticised the lack of sprinklers in the car park.
He added: “There’s a lot of questions that need to be answered about fire safety.”
He said it was “scary” to see “cars exploding” and estimated he “lost at least 14 hours of work” after the taxi rank was shut following the fire.
In a statement, London Luton Airport apologised to customers with vehicles in the car park, which is a five-minute walk from the airport’s terminal.
We cannot confirm the condition of any particular vehicle at this time, but we recommend that you alert your insurance company immediately— Apcoa Parking
It said: “We understand the distress this incident has caused for our car parking customers, and that many are still anxious for more detail.
“We’re sorry that we have not been able to respond as quickly as we would have liked.
“We are working with Apcoa Parking and the Motor Insurers’ Bureau who will co-ordinate with the various vehicle insurance companies.”
Apcoa Parking said in a statement: “Terminal Car Park 2 is closed. The fire has caused extensive damage to the car park and there is currently no access to the site.
“We cannot confirm the condition of any particular vehicle at this time, but we recommend that you alert your insurance company immediately.”
The airport’s Dart rail transit system, which opened earlier this year, also remains closed following the fire.
