Around 100 cars trapped on the top level of Luton Airport car park have been removed in a bid to stabilise the burnt structure.
It comes as police confirmed a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for the October 10 fire that destroyed more than 1,400 vehicles at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2.
The man, who was arrested the following day, was later released on bail as Bedfordshire Police continue its probe into the fire which was decaled a major incident and saw more than 100 firefighters attend.
Flames that rapidly spread through the car park caused a partial collapse of the structure. Yesterday, cranes were seen lifting cars out of the the four storey building where the condition of the vehicles will be assessed.
Photos show maintenance workers assessing cars that could be salvaged and placing them on a truck, while other images showed the burnt cars that had been wrecked in the blaze.
Around 100 cars trapped on the top level of Luton Airport car park have been removed in a bid to stabilise the burnt structure
Photos show maintenance workers assessing cars that could be salvaged and placing them on a truck
Police confirmed a man in his 30s had been arrested on suspicion of criminal damage for the October 10 fire that destroyed more than 1,400 vehicles at the airport’s Terminal Car Park 2
While the probe into the blaze is still ongoing, initially reports suggest the fire start accidentally due to a fault with a vehicle.
It comes as a grandmother whose £20,000 car was damaged in the fire claims her insurance company told her she was ‘at fault’ and only offered her a £7,000 payout.
Cath Glaze, who had been on holiday in Portugal when the fire broke out, had been left without a car to get to work or pick her grandchildren up, she told the Mirror.
The insurance company would not supply her with her a courtesy car either as they considered the vehicle ‘written off’, she said, adding that the experience had been ‘very traumatic and upsetting’.
Ms Glaze said: ‘We bought our car new, have had it serviced regularly, and weren’t planning to change it for the foreseeable future, as it’s been a very reliable car and has low mileage. We now don’t have access to a vehicle.’
Cranes were seen lifting cars out of the the four storey building where the condition of the vehicles will be assessed
Cars burnt to a crisp are seen lying in the car park as work continues to make the structure safe
No other cars are currently being assessed or removed from the car park as the structure ‘remains fundamentally unsafe’ not helped by Storm Babet, Luton Airport said
The unimpressed grandmother is among a number of other holidaymakers trying to scrape their money back.
Sarah Scott was told her ‘priceless’ motor gifted from her late father as covered in rubble after the carpark collapsed.
She told MailOnline: ‘The car was the only one I felt really connected to. We’d been on holidays more than with any other car we’ve owned.
‘We went to France with it, just a couple of months ago, the first ever trip in my own car abroad. It’s the only car I’ve remembered the registration number to.
‘The fact that we had a car that my dad loved so much and liked to come out in, especially being the last car he went in, means it holds precious memories.
‘My mum shunned a funeral car for my dad’s funeral, as she wanted to go in the car that he loved.’
Samantha Woodward parked her ‘little baby’ in one of the car park’s disabled car parking spots on October 6.
Watching the footage from her holiday in Portugal, she spotted the Yellow Nissan in a video showing the remnants of the burnt car park but said her car remained in tact.
Another devastated holidaymaker is Samantha Woodward (pictured), who has been left without a car, said she had parked her ‘little baby’ in one of the car park’s disabled spots on October 6
In videos showing the torched remains of other cars, Samantha spotted her yellow Nissan (pictured here), which seems to be completely intact
Sarah Scott (pictured with her husband Darren) was told her vehicle was covered in rubble after the car park collapsed
She said she bought her car for £9,500 and her insurance offered her £8,500, minus the £300 excess, but she would also lose her no claims bonus and would see her premium increase.
Regarding the current condition of the car park, a London Luton Airport spokesman said: ‘Having worked with our engineers, experts and insurers, we are getting closer every day to making a final decision on what is going to happen to the car park and the vehicles contained within it.
‘Working with our structural engineers, we now plan to remove around 100 cars from the top deck of the car park for the purposes of stabilising the structure.
‘Once removed, these cars will be stored in a safe compound and we will contact customers and work with insurers to inform them of the process of recovery for those cars. Only then will it be possible to assess the condition of those cars.’
No other cars are currently being assessed or removed from the car park as the structure ‘remains fundamentally unsafe’ not helped by Storm Babet, it added.
A Bedfordshire Police spokesman said: ‘Police 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.’
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