Gatwick Parking Fire: What Should Holidaymakers Do If Their Car Was at Caldyne?

A major fire at an off-site Gatwick holiday parking site has left travellers asking who to call, what evidence to keep and who may ultimately pay for a damaged vehicle.

Is your car supposed to be waiting near Gatwick when you land? The Gatwick parking fire at Caldyne Business Park turns a routine airport return into an insurance and contract problem. Do not head straight to the site without checking with the company that took your booking. Your first job is to establish who actually had custody of the vehicle.

At a glance

• BBC News — the blaze at Caldyne Business Park broke out just after 9pm on Saturday 22 August and destroyed about 140 vehicles at a site used by Gatwick travellers.
• Sussex Police, as reported by BBC News — a 67-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of arson and has been bailed pending further inquiries.
• BBC News — more than 2,000 homes lost power during the incident and electricity has since been restored.
• West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, quoted by BBC News — eight fire engines and water carriers attended, no casualties were reported, and affected vehicle owners were told to contact their parking operator.
• Gatwick Airport — its Approved Operator Scheme lists providers that meet declared-site, BPA and Trading Standards standards, but off-site companies remain third-party businesses rather than airport-owned car parks.
• If your vehicle was parked at the affected site, contact the company you booked with before travelling back to collect it.
• Keep your booking confirmation, photographs, emails, terms and any messages from the operator because insurers may ask who had custody of the vehicle.
• Check whether the parking company was part of Gatwick’s Approved Operator Scheme or held Park Mark and Buy With Confidence accreditation.
• Do not assume Gatwick Airport is automatically liable simply because the parking was sold for Gatwick passengers.

What does the Gatwick parking fire mean for your claim?

BBC News reported that about 140 vehicles were destroyed after the fire broke out at Caldyne Business Park in Rowfant shortly after 9pm on Saturday. West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service advised people whose cars were damaged to contact their parking operator directly. That matters because the operator is the party with the booking record, vehicle handover details and its own insurance arrangements. Customers should ask for written confirmation of their vehicle’s condition and location, whether keys were held by the operator, and what claims process is being used. A police arrest on suspicion of arson does not settle civil liability, and the investigation remains ongoing.

Who is responsible for an off-site airport parking car?

An off-site parking booking can involve several layers: the website that sold the space, the company that collected the car and the land where it was stored. Those businesses may be separate. Gatwick Airport’s own guidance distinguishes official on-airport parking from third-party operators and warns passengers to check accreditation. The airport does operate an Approved Operator Scheme, but membership is not the same as airport ownership. If your car was at Caldyne, read the name on the booking contract rather than the branding you remember from the search page. That is the starting point for any complaint or insurance claim.

Why does airport parking accreditation matter?

Gatwick says approved off-airport operators must declare their storage sites and hold British Parking Association and Trading Standards credentials. The Civil Aviation Authority has previously noted that accreditation is not a universal legal licensing requirement for independent airport parking. That is the regulatory grey area: normal planning, trading standards, insurance and consumer law apply, but there is no single national licence that every airport parking operator must hold. Accreditation therefore gives a shopper useful screening information, not a guarantee against every loss. It can also help establish what security and operating standards were represented at the time of booking.

Should you contact your motor insurer now?

Yes, if you have been told your vehicle was damaged or destroyed, or if the operator cannot confirm its condition. Give the insurer the parking contract, collection receipt and any photographs. Explain whether you left the keys and whether the company moved the vehicle. Do not speculate about the cause of the fire; use the wording confirmed by police and the fire service. If possessions were inside the car, list them separately because cover can differ. Travellers still abroad should also keep receipts for reasonable extra transport needed because their vehicle is unavailable, although reimbursement will depend on the relevant policy or contract.

What happens next

Sussex Police are continuing the arson investigation, while fire crews have been damping down hotspots and businesses at Caldyne are assessing damage. Vehicle owners should expect the claims picture to take longer than the fire response because insurers and operators will need to identify which cars were affected and how each booking was structured. Gatwick’s published advice remains simple for future trips: use official parking or check third-party accreditation carefully. For anyone returning from holiday now, however, the practical priority is documentation, direct contact with the booking company and prompt notification to the insurer.