Massive Fire At Parking Garage In Liverpool Obliterates 1,400 Cars

Many people in Liverpool, England, had a rough start to 2018 when a fire on New Year's Eve in a large parking garage forced the evacuation of nearby residents to a temporary shelter and destroyed around 1,400 vehicles. When the blaze started several horses were on the site's first floor because of an equine show happening at a nearby arena. No humans suffered injuries, and people were able to get all of the horses out of the garage safely.

"Initial investigations indicate that an accidental fire within a vehicle caused other cars to ignite," Merseyside Police said, according to BBC News. "We believe that all vehicles parked in the car park have been destroyed."

Twenty-one fire engines responded to the scene, but firefighters eventually realized that they weren't able to save the site. Instead, the crews focused on keeping the blazing from spreading to nearby buildings.

Firefighters were blunt about the fate of vehicles in the garage when speaking with owners. "Well, you best go and have a couple of drinks to celebrate new year because you're not going to get your car back," a fireman told someone, according to the BBC.

The parking garage's future isn't yet clear. "There has been localized collapse within the car park so the structure is unstable," Chief Fire Officer Dan Stephens told the Liverpool Echo. "We do have firefighters working in there - at the minute they are working in areas to the edges so it's the center of the structure where we have had the collapse."

The video below shows multiple scenes from the fire, including the huge response from emergency crews. Even far away from the parking garage, you can see the smoke filling the air in this clip.