A 1,000C inferno that incinerated up to 1,600 vehicles in a car park 'could have been stopped' if sprinklers had been fitted in the building. Fire engulfed seven floors of the multi-storey car park at the Echo Arena on Liverpool's waterfront after a Land Rover burst into flames which quickly spread to other vehicles on Sunday night.
Terrified motorists abandoned their cars and fled in panic along with 4,000 people who were evacuated as the final event of the Liverpool International Horse Show was called off at the Echo Arena. Around 80 horses were rescued and residents and tourists staying in apartments and hotels nearby had to spend New Year's Eve in a temporary shelter as their buildings were evacuated amid fears for their safety. Dan Stephens, of Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service (MFRS), has now said a sprinkler system would have given crews a 'much better' chance of stopping the fire.
Former footballer Mark Wright's family were among those caught up in the terrifying drama after a car exploded into a fireball as they were making their way out of the car park. Mr Wright's wife captured a photograph of the car which sparked the blaze (inset left) just moments before flames tore through the building (right). Pictures from the scene today show the burnt-out shells of cars among piles of ash in the building (main image).
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