UK - Massive fire in multistorey carpark, Liverpool, 31 December 2017

[MelmothTheLost]

Blazing car is pictured moments before it exploded during a city centre horse show sparking an inferno that destroyed 1,400 vehicles in a multi-storey car park and forced hundreds out of their homes

A massive fire has destroyed 1,400 vehicles after it engulfed a car park next to Liverpool's Echo Arena.

Up to 80 horses were rescued and the Liverpool International Horse Show was cancelled as firefighters tackled the blaze at the building at Kings Dock on Sunday evening.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said the inferno one of the worst they had ever dealt with and witnesses described abandoning their vehicles, grabbing possessions and running for their lives after an old Land Rover exploded into a fireball, which spread to other vehicles.

Motorists who had travelled to the event have been left stranded and residents living nearby had to spend New Year's Eve in a temporary shelter as their apartments were evacuated.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5225953/VEHICLES-destroyed-multi-storey-car-park-blaze.html

Every vehicle in the carpark has been burned out. Although all people and horses (which were being stabled on the ground floor of the carpark) were evacuated, there it seems that some people had left their dogs in their cars. Several dogs were reported rescued but it's unclear whether there were any others which were not.

I'm guessing the insurer of the Landrover which started the fire isn't going to have a good start to the New Year. If the average value of the vehicles was £10,000 the overall loss will be in the order of £14 million.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

An update - four dogs were rescued from the top floor of the carpark. Some nice shots of firefighters with the dogs, and a female firefighter hugging the dogs' owner.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5225953/VEHICLES-destroyed-multi-storey-car-park-blaze.html

However it's emerged there were no sprinklers, which would have stopped the fire spreading, in the building.

 

[Whirring]

This is bizarre. I've just heard Mark Wright (the ex footballer) on radio 4 saying he and his wife phoned the fire brigade when a single car's bonnet was on fire.
I suppose the fire had everything it could want - fuel, oxygen and a confined space.
I really hope there weren't any animals in cars in the rest of the car park.
On a more positive note, locals offered all sorts of help and someone even drove a family home to Scotland!

 

[Ellmau]

I really hope there weren't any animals in cars in the rest of the car park.

Yes, indeed - also homeless people seem to be sleeping in car parks a lot these days.

 

[Whirring]

Yes, indeed - also homeless people seem to be sleeping in car parks a lot these days.

I get the feeling any human in the car park would have had fair warning with the noise etc. I hope so.

 

[MelmothTheLost]

Car park inferno that incinerated 1,400 vehicles could end up costing insurers £20 Million

A 1,000C inferno that incinerated up to 1,600 vehicles in a car park could end up costing insurers up to £20million, it has been claimed.

This multi-million pound figure is significantly higher than an estimate from one industry insider, who claimed the cost of paying out for vehicles and possessions would be 'more than £2m'.

The Association of British Insurers (ABI) have claimed the multi-storey car park blaze is likely to result in claims worth £20m being paid out to insurance customers.

A statement by the ABI said: 'Payments have already been made to some of the hundreds of people who lost their vehicles in the blaze on New Year's Eve, with a number of insurers bringing in extra staff to ensure claims are dealt with as swiftly as possible.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/art...car-park-inferno-cost-insurers-20MILLION.html