Airport car park blaze destroys 24 vehicles

Twenty-four cars belonging to people travelling abroad have been burnt out after a fierce fire took hold in the long-stay car park at Stansted airport.

Police believe the fire was caused by an electrical fault in one of the vehicles. But high winds caused the flames to spread rapidly through the car park causing almost £250,000 damage. The alarm was raised at 2.30am on Sunday but it was only when the first fire crew arrived to a report of a singe car alight in the Zone C park that they realised the flames had also engulfed a row of parked vehicles. Fire crews fought to contain the blaze to prevent it spreading to the hundreds of other cars in the park – believed to be almost full during the school holidays.

It took 25 firefighters an hour to bring the flames under control.

A spokesman for Stansted said: "It will be an unpleasant surprise for the owners returning to find their cars burnt out. But we are arranging free taxis to take them home or a 40 per cent discount with a car rental firm."