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.
An accidental fire in one car which spread to other vehicles appeared to have been the cause, police said.
Nearby apartments were evacuated due to smoke.
Thick black smoke still billowng out of #EchoArena car park and it’s 3 in the morning, 10 hours after it started, still hearing loud explosions every few minutes from the car park which is just a few hundred metres away behind my apartment!!! Like fog outside and acrid smell! pic.twitter.com/5JaTqA4VBc — A J K (@ajkynwa) January 1, 2018
Thick black smoke still billowng out of #EchoArena car park and it’s 3 in the morning, 10 hours after it started, still hearing loud explosions every few minutes from the car park which is just a few hundred metres away behind my apartment!!! Like fog outside and acrid smell! pic.twitter.com/5JaTqA4VBc
— A J K (@ajkynwa) January 1, 2018
People who had parked in the multi-storey described being “frightened” by the noise as car windows exploded.
They said emergency services warned them their cars would be lost to the blaze.
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.
