Devastated Brits have revealed how their new £48,000 car went up in flames after an inferno tore through a car park at Luton airport. 

Liz and Gary Blackmore, of Loughborough, were coming back from a five-day holiday to Portugal last night and had parked their Mercedes-AMG CLA Shooting Brake on the top floor of Luton’s new £20million parking structure. 

The couple were on a flight back to Luton when they heard about the blaze from the captain, who had to make a last minute diversion to Gatwick. 

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent some 12 hours battling the inferno at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2 after the multi-storey was engulfed by flames and caved in just before 9pm last night.

The inferno may have been started when a diesel car suffered an electrical fault or leaking fuel line, investigators believe. 

Mrs Blackmore, 57, told MailOnline: ‘We’re devastated. The car was less than a year old and my daughter has taken the other car so now we’re left with no car. We’re horrified.’ 

Others have also revealed how their cars were either caught up in the blaze or they were left stranded after their flights were diverted to other airports.  

Was YOUR car affected by the fire? Email katherine.lawton@mailonline.co.uk 

Liz and Gary Blackmore, of Loughborough, have revealed how their new £48,000 car went up in flames after an inferno tore through a car park at Luton airport

The Mercedes was less than a year old and was parked on the top floor of the carpark which went up in flames 

As many as 1,200 vehicles were affected by the collapse of the car park at Luton airport last night

Gary Blackmore shared his horror on Facebook at finding out his car was parked on the floor that went up in flames 

The charred remains of cars in the Luton Airport multi-storey following last night’s devastating fire

Mrs Blackmore continued: ‘We parked our Mercedes on the top floor of the multi-story Car Park 2, short-stay, Luton, and we’d gone on holiday to Portugal.

‘We were returning yesterday evening and then suddenly the captain of the plane told us that we were diverting to Gatwick due to a large fire that has closed the airport.

‘I saw it all on MailOnline and BBC about the fire.’ 

The pair spent all night trying to get home after being stranded with no car so are yet to call their insurance to see if they will receive any compensation. 

‘We don’t know yet – we’ve not contacted the insurance. We’re going to get some sleep first,’ said Mrs Blackmore, a part-time schoolteacher. 

‘This morning we heard people have been taken to hospital with smoke inhalation and injuries – we just hope they’re okay. You can replace the car but you can’t replace people.

‘It was confusing because we’re on our own – there was no help from anybody. We landed at nearly midnight and we had no assistance.

Nikodem Lesiak, 18, said he and seven other Polish university students are ‘tired’ as they have been stranded since 12 am after their 7:50 am flight to Krakow, Poland, was cancelled after the fire 

This morning confused and upset stranded passengers, some with small children, dragged luggage up and down the road to the airport, unsure of what to do

Other who also parked in the Luton car park have posted on social media in fear that their car has too gone up in flames 

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent some 12 hours battling the inferno at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2 after the multi-storey was engulfed by flames and caved in just before 9pm last night

Others have reported waking up still on holiday after flights were cancelled, but fearing that their car has melted in the blaze

The extent of the damage can be seen in Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2 following last night’s fire

Cars were engulfed in flames after one reportedly exploded at the short stay

Police, firefighters and ambulance crews were on the scene, with five people rushed to hospital 

Fire services attending the scene this morning following the fire which started last night

The burnt out shells of cars, buried amongst debris of a multi-storey car park at Luton Airport

Flights will be suspended at the airport until at least 3pm on Wednesday

‘Also we didn’t know whether to go to Luton and pick up the car – we didn’t know what to do – no one told us – we didn’t go because we’d seen the car park had collapsed so we didn’t bother going.’

Mr Blackmore shared his horror on Facebook at finding out his car was parked on a floor that went up in flames. 

He wrote: ‘What a night. Flew back from Portugal to be told that we are being diverted from Luton due to a fire in a car park! 

‘So we end up at Gatwick and then find out it’s in the car park where I parked my car. 

‘So less than a year old car up in flames and the whole structure has collapsed.’

He added: ‘Now we are struck at Bedford train station at 3.45 in the morning with no trains for three hours and a taxi wanting £150 for 53 miles!! I have to say that I’ve had better ends to holidays.’  

Meanwhile others have reported waking up still on holiday after flights were cancelled, but fearing that their car has melted in the blaze. 

One person posted a photo of a picturesque beach on X, formerly known as Twitter, with the caption: ‘When you should have gone home last night but you wake up to this…on the other hand your car could be a melting mess in Luton!’ 

Another woman, 26-year-old Chloe Roberts, parked her Ford Fiesta in the car park before going on holiday to Iceland with her husband. 

They are set to land in the UK on Friday and live more than 100 miles from Luton Airport. 

Ms Roberts told The Sun: ‘We are devastated. We just need to know if it’s completely gone. 

‘We run our son’s charity and we are supposed to be in Newquay by 10am on Friday to install an accessible defibrillator in his memory.’ 

James Davison, 37, from St Albans, Hertfordshire, was travelling back from Portugal with his partner, Sarah, 32, when they were diverted to Gatwick. 

They had parked their £32,000 VW Tiguan in Car Prk 2 which they fear has been destroyed in the blaze. 

James, an accountant said: ‘We haven’t been told for sure but we fear the car has gone. It’s devastating, what with the cost of the holiday it’ll cost a fortune. 

‘We were due to land last night and the pilot just said that we had to divert. ‘It cost us money just coming back here from Gatwick.’ 

Eight Polish passengers have been stranded for nine hours after their early morning flight from Luton Airport was cancelled.

Access to the Airport from the Luton Direct Air-Rail Transit has been closed, leaving passengers stuck at Luton Airport Parkway station.

One passenger is exercising at the station while his flight has been delayed for a ‘couple of hours’.

Nikodem Lesiak, 18, said he and seven other Polish university students are ‘tired’ as they have been stranded since 12 am after their 7:50 am flight to Krakow, Poland, was cancelled. The students have been in the UK for holiday for five days.

He said: ‘We are tired, and we have spent the whole night here. We need to get to Poland as fast as possible.

‘When we got here, we found out Luton is burning and everything is closed, and we were supposed to have our flight at 7:50 today but it was cancelled. We found another ticket to Poland from another city and then we have to take a coach to the city we live in.’

How Luton’s Terminal Car Park 2 looked prior to the fire which ripped through the building last night

A charred section of a parking structure is seen this morning after it caught fire and partially collapsed at London’s Luton Airport

Shocking footage has emerged of a vehicle going up in flames at London Luton Airport, before the huge inferno that caused a car park to collapse, cancelling all flights and leaving five people in hospital 

A charred section of a parking structure is seen after it caught fire and partially collapsed at London’s Luton Airport

A fire engine at Luton Airport this morning after a huge fire which caused a car park to collapse

Their next flight will be leaving at 12:40 pm, however Mr Lesiak said they are taking a ‘risk’ as their flight might again be cancelled.

This morning confused and stranded passengers, some with small children, dragged luggage up and down the road to the airport, unsure of what to do.

Flights into the airport were diverted to other airports including Stansted, Bristol and Liverpool.

Mother and daughter Rebecca Fancourt and Jane Knight, from Lincolnshire, were supposed to be travelling to Turkey on a flight at 12.30 this afternoon.

Despite checking online and calling Tui they are unsure as to what is happening and whether their holiday will still go ahead.

They said: ‘We have been told flights are still going ahead and have had to have been driven here from Lincolnshire because there is no certainty around parking.

‘We have spent all night trying to figure out what to do and it has been impossible to get details. We are very frustrated by the situation.’

There was also huge demand for parking this morning, with the airport’s website introducing a queuing system, with desperate passengers having to wait several minutes to even browse the site

Firefighters continue to work on making the car park safe this morning following last night’s fire

A witness described the speed in which the blaze tore through the car park’s upper floor as ‘incredible’

People take pictures while leaving London Luton airport as emergency services respond to a fire

Other passengers said they had to walk along a busy road in the dark. Robin and Jackie Evans, from Portsmouth, said they feel exhausted after their Naples flight to Luton was diverted to Stansted. 

‘We overheard they were putting on a shuttle bus but we had to sit on it for half an hour before it left and we were then dumped at Luton Aiport Parkway,’ Jackie said.  

A returning holidaymaker, who did not want to be named, said: ‘We landed last night. Came through the terminal all fine and thought ‘brilliant – two hours drive and we’ll be home’. 

‘Then we saw all the flames and smoke and were ushered away. My car is stuck in Car Park 1. We had to stay at the Holiday Inn and now we are waiting for my son to come and pick us up. No idea if our car is okay or when we can get it.’

A taxi driver from Luton Black Cabs said: ‘There are no customers. No work. Nowhere to park. It’s a nightmare.’ 

A Polish family who came on holiday to London have told how they slept on the floor at Luton Airport after a fire at a multi-storey car park caused flight cancellations. 

A Polish woman who spent the night at Luton Airport after a fire in a multi-storey car park resulted in cancelled flights said authorities tried to evacuate them from the terminal building overnight.

A number of cars have been visibly damaged by the fire, as crews continue to battle it

Passengers lift their luggage past fire trucks at London’s Luton Airport following the car park collapse

Agnieske Szmit, 44, who had been holidaying in London with her family and is trying to return to Gdansk, said: ‘We missed our work today, the children should be at school.’

She said they slept on the floor of the terminal building and on benches after their flight was cancelled on Tuesday evening.

‘They tried to evacuate us but they didn’t say where, just go outside and follow the crowds,’ she said.

‘The police in the night – it was cold outside.’

Beds Fire and Rescue said half of the car park was involved in the fire. The first call to the fire was made at 13 minutes to nine.

15 fire engines were called to the scene. The fire raged until the early hours of the morning.

Local residents were advised to keep their windows and doors closed. There was traffic chaos. The M1 around Luton was gridlocked as were local roads.

As the fire raged, vehicle alarms and loud explosions could be heard as the fire tore through the upper floor of the car park.

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service spent some 12 hours battling the inferno at the airport’s £20m Terminal Car Park 2 after the multi-storey was engulfed by flames and caved in just before 9pm last night.

Fire chiefs said this morning that the fire, which was finally controlled and extinguished jut before 9am, started in a single vehicle with diesel engine. As many as 1,200 cars are feared to have been damaged in the blaze.

Dramatic footage, caught on a CCTV camera, captures the moment an explosion erupts in the car park, bringing light fixtures down from the ceiling, before a fireball soars through the building.

A major incident was declared last night after a 4×4 – understood to be a Range Rover – caught alight with the flames soon spreading to other nearby cars.

Around 1500 cars were parked there at the time – ‘a significant proportion’ of which have been severely damaged or destroyed.

Fifteen fire engines on the ground and three aircraft battled to stop the fire from spreading to air side buildings.

Vehicle alarms and loud explosions were heard as cars were burned through one by one, with a witness describing the speed in which the blaze tore through the newly-built car park as ‘incredible’.

What are you rights if your flight is cancelled? Travel expert NICKY KELVIN reveals what airlines must provide

A number of flights have been suspended owing to a large fire at one of Luton Airport’s car parks overnight, causing a partial collapse of one of the buildings.

With a number of flight cancellations and delays expected today as a result, it’s important that travellers check their flights – by checking airport arrival and departure boards online and their specific airline’s website to ensure that their flight is still proceeding as normal.

It’s important to keep an eye on emails too – travellers are often given updates on cancellations here before anywhere else.

For an expert travel hack, I would recommend looking at Flight Radar 24 which allows users to track the exact aircraft that will be flying your route.

Travellers will then be able to see where there plane is and whether it has made it out of its previous destination. Knowing this information will help them to determine whether they will be encountering any delays ahead of your trip.

If you’re delayed for more than two hours on a short-haul flight, airlines must provide you with support such as food and drink and reimbursement for phone calls.

If you’re delayed overnight, they will provide you accommodation and transport to a hotel or home.

Usually if you arrive at your destination more than three hours late you are entitled to compensation, however as this is an air traffic control issue and out of the airlines’ control, this type of compensation will not be payable.

If your flight has been cancelled, the airline should find you a new flight if you elect for that option. You can also request that the airline gives you a flight on a rival provider if there’s a flight available that’s earlier than your original airline can offer.

You don’t have to travel with the same airline. The issue with this situation is that all airlines have been affected by these issues so trying to fly with different airlines may also not be possible.

NICKY KELVIN is editor at The Points Guy. For more of his tips, click here

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Chief Fire Officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue, Andrew Hopkinson, said this morning: ‘A joint investigation with Bedfordshire Police is now underway but at the moment all the intelligence we have suggests this fire was nothing other than an accident.

‘The fire has started on the third floor from what we believe is a diesel powered vehicle.

‘We don’t yet know for sure what’s has caused this fire, that is what the investigation will ascertain, but fires in diesel cars can start in all sorts of ways, such as an electrical fault or a leaking fuel line.

‘The car park has a capacity of 1900 vehicles and at the time of the fire last night there was short of 1500 cars inside, a significant proportion of which have either been destroyed or damaged due to the fire itself and the building collapse.

‘There were people in the car park when the fire took hold but everyone was ushered out to safety.

‘The firefighters taken to hospital last night suffered minor smoke inhalation and have now all been discharged.’

Tom Wiercinski, 42, flew back to Luton from Poland last night and landed around 9.30pm.

His Honda Civic was in the car park at the time and he feared the worst as he saw flames and smoke billowing into the air.

Mr Wiercinski told MailOnline: ‘I saw the fire

as we were landing and I could see it was coming from the car park where I had my car.

‘I thought my car had been destroyed so as soon as I was out through arrivals I went to check.

‘It was in the ‘meet and greet’ section on the second floor and was away from the section where the fire broke out.

‘But I don’t know if there’s been any damage because I haven’t been allowed anywhere near it because of issues around buildings safety.

‘I live in Northamptonshire and so stayed overnight in the Ibis Hotel. I’m supposed to be at work but I’m having to do everything remotely.’

Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service said at 9am its crews were ‘monitoring the smouldering remains’.

It received a call about a car fire on level three of Terminal Car Park 2 at 8.47pm.

Fifteen fire appliances and more than 100 firefighters were deployed.

Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and another firefighter was treated at the scene.

Andrew Hopkinson, chief fire officer for Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service, said: ‘On arrival my officers were faced with a severe and rapidly spreading fire involving a large number of vehicles that ultimately spread to multiple floors and involved a partial collapse of the car park.’

In relation to the Luton Airport car park fire, East of England Ambulance Service said in a statement it sent two ambulances, seven hazardous area response team vehicles and ambulance officer vehicles to the scene of the Luton Airport fire.

It continued: ‘We assessed five people suffering from smoke inhalation at the scene.

‘Three firefighters and one member of airport staff were transported to Luton and Dunstable Hospital.

‘One firefighter was discharged at the scene.’