Luton airport has disclosed that it is unlikely that any vehicles will be salvageable after a huge blaze swept through a multi-storey car park.
The airport and parking provider Apcoa have responded to more than 16,400 customer queries since the incident.
The airport said: “Regrettably, it is unlikely that any vehicles in the car park will be salvageable, but this is still in the process of being assessed.
“We are working with the Association of British Insurers on behalf of the many insurance companies about whether it is possible to retrieve any personal possessions when it is safe to do so, and how this may work.
“We have provided the Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) with the registration details of 1,405 vehicles (GDPR compliant), and they have confirmed the vast majority have now been passed to individual insurers.
“We appreciate just how stressful the last few days have been and we are sorry that we have not been in a position to provide all of the detail you need, but this has been an extremely complex situation.
“Following investigations by the emergency services, the site has now been handed back to the airport. Work to make the site safe is ongoing, but it remains too dangerous to enter.”
More than 100 firefighters were tackling the fire at its height last Tuesday and five casualties were treated for smoke inhalation, including one member of airport staff and four firefighters.
The investigation into the cause of the fire continues, but it has been determined that the vehicle that first caught fire was a diesel car, Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service reported.
The service said its fire investigation team will be working closely with Bedfordshire Police “to get a better understanding of what happened on Tuesday evening, and why”.
The fire service added: “Everyone from across the multi-agency response worked so hard to get the blaze under control and protect other bits of infrastructure, including the Luton Dart line, neighbouring car park.”
An airport spokesperson said: “Since Tuesday night’s incident, together with Apcoa parking we have responded to almost 16,500 customer queries.
“Dealing with such a large volume of questions has naturally taken longer than we would have liked.
“Although we don’t have all the answers at this stage, we are working hard to provide more details as soon as possible.
“The Motor Insurers’ Bureau (MIB) will be co-ordinating claims with all insurers and we continue to provide all information requested.
“We recognise this has been a distressing situation for all concerned and we would like to thank our customers for their patience and understanding.”
Photo: Bedfordshire Fire and Rescue Service