London’s Luton Airport: Flights to resume after ‘significant’ fire
The airport has advised passengers to stay away for the time being.
By Niamh Kennedy and Sharon Braithwaite
London (CNN) — Flights at London’s Luton Airport are due to resume hours after the break out of a “significant” fire in the airport’s Terminal 2 parking lot, the airport said in a statement on Wednesday.
The first flights were expected to depart from 3 p.m. local time, according to the airport, with passengers already beginning to re-enter.
“Following last night’s car fire in Terminal Car Park 2, emergency services have now downgraded the incident but remain on the scene as a precaution,” the airport said on X/Twitter on Wednesday.
“The teams have worked hard to get the airport operational, with the passengers now re-entering the terminal and the first flights expected to depart from 3 p.m.”
Earlier today, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed that the fire was “no longer a major incident” and it had scaled back its response.
“Crews have controlled and extinguished the fire at Luton Airport,” it said in a statement posted on X/Twitter. “Four crews and an aerial appliance remain at the scene.”
Chief Fire Officer Andy Hopkinson told reporters that he estimated that around 1,500 vehicles were in the parking lot when the fire broke out on Tuesday evening.
Hopkinson went on to stress that there was no evidence to suggest that the fire was anything but accidental, before adding that he believed the fire had started in one vehicle and then spread throughout the car park.
According to Hopkinson, four firefighters and a member of the airport staff team were treated for “mild smoke inhalation” as a result of the fire and have since been discharged from hospital.
He went on to confirm that no members of the public were harmed.
Luton Airport said earlier the fire had resulted in “partial structural collapse.”
It stressed that its “priority remains supporting the emergency services and the safety of our passengers and staff.”
The airport earlier advised passengers to contact their airlines for more information about the status of their flights.
Luton Airport is located in Bedfordshire, about 55 kilometers (34 miles) northwest of London. It is a hub for several low-cost airlines, including easyJet, Wizz Air and Ryanair.
Tamara Hardingham-Gill contributed to this story
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