Image credit: Thomas Nugent via Wikimedia Commons. License: CC BY-SA 2.0.
About 140 vehicles were destroyed or damaged after a fire swept through Caldyne Business Park near London Gatwick Airport on Saturday night. The site included holiday parking used by some Gatwick travelers, but the airport says it was an unaffiliated third-party operation that Gatwick did not own, operate, or endorse.
The immediate traveler problem is simple and painful: people returning from trips may find that their car was caught in the fire. Police arrested a 67-year-old man on suspicion of arson and later released him on bail while inquiries continue. No injuries were reported.
- What happened: A major fire at Caldyne Business Park in Rowfant damaged about 140 vehicles on the night of August 22.
- Airport connection: Some vehicles were parked there by Gatwick travelers, but the site was not an official Gatwick Airport parking facility.
- Who to contact: Affected customers should contact their parking operator directly; concerned travelers can also call Sussex Police on 101.
- Police reference: Information about the incident can be reported using serial 1504 of 22/08.
- Current status: Fire crews were still damping down hotspots on Monday, and a joint fire and police investigation was underway.
What happened near Gatwick
Emergency services were called to the fire just before 9 p.m. Saturday at the business park on Wallage Lane in Rowfant, roughly eight miles from Gatwick. The fire involved a workshop, ordinary cars, electric and heavy vehicles, and cylinders, making it a more complicated incident than a single row of parked cars burning.
ITV News reported on Monday that eight fire engines and water carriers responded at the height of the blaze. Firefighters continued checking and damping down hotspots after the main flames were controlled.
The incident also briefly disrupted electricity in the surrounding area. More than 2,000 homes and businesses lost power for several minutes, while a smaller group remained without service until Sunday morning. Nearby roads were closed as a precaution during the emergency response.
The important precision is that the fire was near Gatwick, not inside an airport-owned parking garage. Gatwick told Travel Gossip that the business was an unaffiliated third-party parking site. That distinction determines who holds the booking record, who can confirm whether a particular car was on the property, and where a customer should begin a claim.
What affected travelers should do first
If you booked parking for a trip through Gatwick and do not recognize the operator’s address, find the confirmation email before calling anyone. Look for the company name, booking reference, vehicle registration, drop-off location, handover instructions, and emergency contact number. A booking made through a comparison website may still have been fulfilled by a separate local operator.
Contact that parking operator directly and ask for written confirmation of whether your vehicle was stored at Caldyne Business Park on August 22. If the operator says it was, ask whether the vehicle is accessible, damaged, or awaiting formal identification. Avoid traveling to the business park without instructions because the investigation and site-safety work may restrict access.
Travelers who cannot reach the operator or believe their vehicle may be involved can call Sussex Police on 101. Use the police reference serial 1504 of 22/08. Keep the conversation factual: provide your registration, make and model, booking reference, operator, date dropped off, and expected collection date.
| Your situation | Best next move |
|---|---|
| Your operator confirms the car was not at Caldyne | Request the exact collection address and normal return instructions in writing. |
| Your car may have been at the fire site | Contact the operator, then Sussex Police on 101 with your registration and booking details. |
| Your car is confirmed damaged | Open a motor-insurance claim and preserve the parking contract, police reference, photos, and all replacement-travel receipts. |
| You are still abroad | Resolve the vehicle status before landing and arrange a flexible backup ride from Gatwick. |
| You have a future third-party parking booking | Verify the storage address, operator identity, cancellation terms, and vehicle-insurance process before handing over the keys. |
Prepare for the trip home before you land
A traveler still abroad should not wait until baggage claim to discover the parking problem. Ask the operator whether normal shuttle or meet-and-greet collection is running and whether it has arranged alternate transport. If the answer is unclear, book a refundable train, taxi, rideshare, or family pickup that can be cancelled if the car is available.
Do not assume the parking fee covers the cost of getting home. Save receipts for every reasonable extra expense, including airport transport, rail tickets, a one-night hotel if necessary, and a rental car. Whether those costs are reimbursed will depend on the parking contract, motor policy, travel policy, credit-card protection, and the investigation, but documentation is easier to collect now than later.
Photograph any damaged vehicle only when the site operator or police allow access. Do not touch the car or remove items if investigators have restricted it. Fire can weaken glass, tires, batteries, and structural components even when exterior damage looks limited.
Returning Gatwick travelers who used an off-airport parking company should check the operator and storage address before flying home. Anyone linked to Caldyne Business Park should confirm the vehicle’s status and arrange backup transportation before arrival.
Send one complete vehicle-status request
A clear written request can reduce repeated calls while operators and investigators work through a large number of vehicles. Include the booking reference, vehicle registration, make, model and color, the date and location where the keys were handed over, the scheduled return flight, and a phone number that works abroad. Ask the operator to confirm the exact storage address, whether the vehicle was at Caldyne Business Park at the time of the fire, its present condition, whether it can be collected safely, and what replacement-transport process is available.
Keep that request factual and avoid assigning blame. A useful reply should distinguish among a car that was never at the site, a car that is undamaged but temporarily inaccessible, and a car that is confirmed damaged. Those outcomes create different travel decisions and insurance steps. If the operator only answers by phone, send a follow-up email summarizing what was said and ask it to correct any error. Preserve screenshots, call times, names, reference numbers and every later update in one folder.
Travelers who cannot identify the operator should check the original confirmation email, payment-card description and any comparison-site account used to reserve the space. Do not send identity documents or banking details to an unverified social-media account claiming to handle the incident. Use contact information from the reservation, the operator’s official website or a police-directed channel.
Who may pay for the loss
It is too early to state who is legally responsible for every damaged vehicle. The police investigation is ongoing, the arrested man has not been convicted, and the relationships between parking customers, operators, property businesses, and insurers will vary. Travelers should avoid relying on social-media claims about automatic compensation.
Start with the comprehensive motor insurer if the vehicle is confirmed damaged. Tell the insurer that the car was in the custody of a holiday-parking operator and provide the police reference. Ask whether the claim should be handled under the policy’s fire coverage and whether the insurer will pursue another party later.
Then notify the parking operator in writing. Request its insurer’s contact information, its incident process, and a copy of the terms attached to the original reservation. If a comparison platform sold the booking, notify that platform too, but do not assume the platform operated the physical site.
Travel insurance may help with disruption expenses rather than the value of the car. Credit-card benefits may have different exclusions. Read the relevant policy and ask for a written coverage decision instead of guessing from a general benefits page.
Why the official-parking distinction matters
London Gatwick offers its own parking products and has also introduced new technology at the airport. Deep Arrival previously reported on Gatwick’s official robotic parking option at the South Terminal. The Caldyne fire is unrelated to that airport product.
Off-airport parking can be legitimate and convenient, but the traveler needs to know who is taking custody of the vehicle and where it will be stored. A meet-and-greet handoff at a terminal does not necessarily mean the vehicle stays on airport property. The operator’s actual storage address should be part of the prebooking check.
Before a future booking, verify the trading name, registered company, storage location, key-retention policy, mileage on collection and return, security arrangements, and how insurance works while the car is in the operator’s possession. Take timestamped photos of all sides of the car, the odometer, fuel level, and key handoff.
What to watch next
- A final count separating destroyed, damaged, and unaffected customer vehicles.
- Direct instructions from individual parking operators for vehicle collection and claims.
- Any police update on the cause of the fire or the arson investigation.
- Site-access changes after firefighters finish hotspot and cylinder safety work.
- Insurance guidance for replacement transportation and total-loss documentation.
The fire did not close Gatwick Airport, and the reporting reviewed by Deep Arrival did not describe a general flight shutdown. Travelers should separate the serious parking-site incident from airport flight operations. Check an individual flight with the airline and handle the vehicle issue through the parking operator and police.
Was this an official Gatwick Airport car park?
No. Gatwick said the affected site was an unaffiliated third-party parking operation that the airport did not endorse or operate.
How many vehicles were affected?
Fire and news reports said about 140 vehicles were destroyed or damaged. The final customer-by-customer count may change as the site is assessed.
Were there injuries?
Authorities reported no casualties from the fire.
Who should a traveler contact?
Contact the parking operator first. Concerned travelers can also call Sussex Police on 101 and quote serial 1504 of 22/08.
Were Gatwick flights cancelled because of the fire?
The available reports did not describe a general Gatwick flight closure. Check your flight directly with the airline because the parking incident and flight operation are separate issues.
