Luton Airport has been closed after a fire ripped through a multi-storey car park, causing it to collapse

Firefighters are tackling the blaze which began yesterday (October 10) evening and appears to have destroyed hundreds of cars.

Flights have been cancelled since the fire broke out at around 9pm and are expected to resume at around noon today (October 11), the airport said.

Update: In a statement this morning, the airport has now said flights are set to be suspended until 3pm, having initially been paused until noon. Follow all future updates today through our live blog here.

Four firefighters and a member of airport staff were taken to hospital suffering from smoke inhalation and another firefighter was treated at the scene.

In a statement at 3am today, the airport said: “Emergency services continue to respond to a significant fire in Terminal Car Park 2, which has resulted in a partial structural collapse.

“All flights are suspended until 12pm on Wednesday. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport at this time.”

More than 15 crews from Bedfordshire Fire Service were called to tackle the blaze.

Watford Observer: The fireThe fire (Image: (Twitter/@SoRin23))

A spokesperson said: “One half of the structure is fully involved in fire and the building has suffered a significant structural collapse.

“Fire crews are working to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading to adjacent buildings and vehicles on air side of the airport.”

There are significant delays on the M1 motorway in the area this morning (October 11).