Hundreds of cars destroyed in UK parking garage fire

Some 1,400 vehicles were inside the structure when the blaze started on Sunday afternoon and police said an “accidental fire” within a car caused others to ignite.

Hundreds of cars have been destroyed in a fire that raged through a multi-storey parking garage in the northern English city of Liverpool.

Emergency services attend the scene of a fire at a multi-storey car park on Liverpool's waterfront, northwest England, on December 31, 2017. Witnesses said cars seemed to explode every couple of seconds when the fire was at its peak. (AP)

The fire next to Liverpool’s Echo Arena threatened horses that were stabled in the garage for performances at the Liverpool International Horse Show.

The horses were moved to safety inside the arena. The popular horse show was cancelled because of the fire, which was brought under control early on Monday morning.

The burned out shell of a car is seen following a serious blaze which destroyed hundreds of cars in a multi-storey car park in Liverpool, Britain, on January 1, 2018. (Reuters)

Witnesses said cars seemed to explode every couple of seconds when the fire was at its peak. They said the fire started in an older vehicle and quickly spread.

Police said an “accidental fire within a vehicle caused other cars to ignite”.

Some 1,400 vehicles were inside the structure when the blaze started on Sunday afternoon.