Diesel car fault cause of hospital car park fire

A large fire at a hospital car park which left more than 400 cars trapped was due to a mechanical fault with a diesel vehicle, a fire service said.

Cambridgeshire Fire and Rescue Service ruled the blaze at Car Park 1 at Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, as accidental.

Crews attended the incident at 16:16 GMT on Saturday evening where multiple vehicles were affected on its second floor.

Roland Sinker, the CEO of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), said it had "lost 1,000 car parking spaces" as a result.

Emergency services attended the scene and the fire service said it had sent 12 crews to the site.

No-one was believed to be injured and the car park remained closed.

CUH said Car Park 1 "will remain closed for some time" and asked patients and visitors to use the Trumpington or Babraham Road park and rides "where possible".

National Car Parks, which manages the car park, has explained that customers will be escorted to collect their cars but must wait to be contacted.

Luarina Raven, from Welwyn Garden City in Hertfordshire, has been visiting her daughter at Addenbrooke's since 9 November after she was involved in a car accident which broke her neck in two places.

She said she cried when she discovered she could not access her vehicle in Car Park 1, and said the experience was "pretty stressful".

Mr Sinker thanked the emergency services and said he was "hugely grateful" for support from local authorities.

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