Massive fire tears through multi-storey car park at London airport

Witnesses look on after a fire broke out in a car park at Luton Airport. Photo / AP

A massive fire tore through a newly built parking garage at one of London’s international airports today, and four firefighters and an airport employee were hospitalised for smoke inhalation.

All flights at Luton Airport were suspended until 3pm UK time Wednesday, the airport said in a statement, and would-be passengers were asked to stay away because emergency crews were still on the scene and access was restricted.

Luton, about 56km north of central London, is a hub for budget airlines such as easyJet, Ryanair and others.

In addition to the five people being hospitalised, a sixth person was treated at the scene.

Video posted on social media and on British news outlets’ websites showed police and fire department vehicles gathered outside a multi-storey car park where the top level was engulfed in flames.

The car park for Terminal 2 partially collapsed after the fire started around 9pm Tuesday UK time.

Russell Taylor, 41, an account director from Kinross in Scotland, saw the flames after flying into Luton from Edinburgh. He told the PA news agency that he first saw a car on fire on an upper level and a couple of fire engines.

“A few minutes later most of the upper floor was alight, car alarms were going off with loud explosions from cars going up in flames,” he said. “The speed in which the fire took hold was incredible.”