Car park fire destroys 1,400 vehicles

International Desk: A huge fire has destroyed up to 1,400 vehicles in a multi-storey car park in Liverpool, forcing many people to spend New Year's Eve in a temporary shelter.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze at King's Dock - next to the Liverpool Echo Arena - was one of the worst it had ever dealt with.

Nearby apartments have been evacuated due to smoke, and people have been warned to stay away from the area.

Local residents said the fire was still burning well into the night.

Merseyside Police reported 21 fire engines were at the scene during the night tackling the blaze and the fire service said it was guarding against the risk of the building collapsing.

All vehicles left in the 1,600-capacity car park have been destroyed, police said.

They warned people to stay indoors and close windows if they saw smoke from the fire.

The Liverpool International Horse Show has been running at the arena, which has a total capacity of 11,000, since 28 December.

Liverpool Mayor Joe Anderson tweeted that everyone was safe and no animals had been hurt.

He said some horses that were on the first floor of the multi-storey car park had been moved inside the arena.

Shortly after the fire broke out, Mike Quek tweeted that there were "lots of explosions coming from the car park still".

"Driving into #liverpool #arena carpark and told to evacuate as car was on fire. Horses on ground floor. Hopefully everyone is ok," he added.

Merseyside Police said: "Initial investigations indicate that an accidental fire within a vehicle caused other cars to ignite.

"We believe that all vehicles parked in the car park have been destroyed."

Source: BBC


risingbd/Jan 1, 2017/Mukul