Man arrested after fireball destroyed hundreds of vehicles and wiped out entire UK airport carpark

A man in his 30s was arrested last week in connection with a massive blaze at a car park in Luton Airport, which injured five people and burned up to 1,500 vehicles.

The fire tore through the airport's Terminal Car Park 2, with footage on social media showing the flames engulfing the structure.

According to the Daily Mail, Bedfordshire Police last week arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of criminal damage.

They report that the man has since been bailed and that police enquiries are ongoing.

At the moment investigators believe the massive inferno was sparked by either an electrical fault or a leaking fuel line in a diesel car with Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service saying 'that fire has quickly and rapidly spread'.

A major incident had been declared at Luton Airport on the evening of 10 October with over 100 firefighters dispatched to tackle the flames.

Flights were suspended and thousands of journeys disrupted because of the inferno.

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A spokesperson for Bedfordshire Police told the Mail about the arrest they had made regarding the airport fire.

They said: "Police last week arrested a man in his 30s on suspicion of criminal damage in connection to their investigation into a significant fire in a car park at London Luton Airport on Tuesday (10 October).

"We are carrying out a thorough and diligent investigation into all potential lines of enquiry, as should be expected after such a major event.

"The man has been released on bail while our enquiries continue."

Footage of what appears to be the burning car which investigators believe started the blaze has been circulating on social media and shows the vehicle engulfed by flames.

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Several days after the fire Luton Airport said it was 'unlikely that any vehicles will be salvageable' after the damage done by the inferno.

They said they'd passed along registration details of 1,405 vehicles to the the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) and acknowledged it had been 'extremely distressing' for those involved.

The airport has since resumed control of the site and the burnt out car park with flights and schedules returning to normal.

Chief Fire Officer Andrew Hopkinson said that since they believe the blaze was started with a diesel vehicle it would have taken 'intense pressure or sustained flame' to spark the fire as diesel is somewhat less flammable than petrol.

LADbible have contacted Bedfordshire Police for further comment.