Luton Airport has suspended all flights until 12pm today after fire ripped through one of its multi-story carparks.

The Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue service issued the following update at 7am on Wednesday October 11.

“Access to LLA is still restricted. Please avoid the area. Firefighting operations are still underway as crews dampen down the area.

“Emergency services will continue to be on the scene for a number of hours. A full fire investigation will take place to determine the cause of the fire.”

The service had previously confirmed that a major incident had been declared at shortly after 9.30pm on Tuesday.

“Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service received calls to a fire involving a car on level three of the multi-storey car park at London Luton Airport at 8.47pm.

“Fire crews were faced with a rapidly escalating fire and declared a major incident at 9.38pm.

“A severe fire rapidly spread through the structure and the severity of the fire has caused significant structural collapse. It is believed that up to 1,200 vehicles may have been in the car park at the time of the fire and subsequently damaged.

“Firefighting operations were undertaken to control the blaze and protect nearby buildings, vehicles, aircraft, and the Luton DART.

“At its peak there were 15 Rescue pumps, three aerial appliances and over 100 firefighters on scene at this incident.

“We would like to thank our fire colleagues from Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Hertfordshire, Northamptonshire, and London Fire Brigade along with Bedfordshire Police and East of England Ambulance for their support.

“Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service will continue to undertake firefighting operations to help restore travel services to the public as soon as is possible”.

Luton Airport said in a statement on its website: “Emergency services continue to respond to a significant fire in Terminal Car Park 2, which has now resulted in partial structural collapse.

“All flights are suspended until 12pm on Wednesday 11th October, please contact your airline for the latest flight information.

“Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time, as access remains severely restricted.

“For passengers who have queries regarding a parked vehicle or future booking please contact [email protected].”