London’s Luton Airport Resumes Operations After Parking Garage Fire
Luton Airport in London reopened on Wednesday following a vehicle fire that engulfed a newly constructed parking garage, causing part of the structure to collapse and impacting thousands of passengers. The incident led to numerous flight cancellations, diversions, and delays.
Late on Tuesday, a fire broke out at Luton Airport, which is situated about 35 miles north of central London. This resulted in the cancellation, diversion, or delay of dozens of flights.
During the incident, four firefighters and an airport staff member required treatment due to smoke inhalation.
Luton Airport, a key hub for budget airlines like easyJet and Ryanair, resumed flight operations on Wednesday afternoon.
The fire is believed to have originated from a diesel vehicle, according to Chief Fire Officer Andrew Hopkinson of the Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. Notably, the parking garage, which had recently opened, did not have sprinklers.
Over 100 firefighters were dispatched to tackle the blaze, which quickly spread.
Authorities do not suspect any deliberate intent behind the fire.
Due to the disruptions, some passengers had to sleep on the airport floor or wait at a nearby railway station.
Nikodem Lesiak, a university student heading to Poland, described spending the night at the station after their flight was canceled.
Video footage and reports depicted police and fire department vehicles responding to the incident, with the top level of the parking garage engulfed in flames.
Russell Taylor, an account director from Kinross, Scotland, witnessed the events after arriving at Luton from Edinburgh. He observed the fire rapidly spreading on the upper floor of the garage, serving Terminal 2, leading to car alarms and explosions. The swiftness of the fire’s progression was astonishing.