Heathrow Shutdown Over London Substation Fire
A fire at an electrical substation in west London has triggered a widespread power outage, forcing Heathrow Airport to close for an entire day and disrupting travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers. The incident, which occurred late Thursday evening, has caused significant flight cancellations and delays, with at least 1,350 flights affected, according to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.
The outage has also impacted more than 16,300 homes in the surrounding area, with the London Fire Brigade deploying 10 fire engines and approximately 70 firefighters to the scene. The cause of the fire, which originated in a transformer at the substation, remains under investigation.
Heathrow Closure Disrupts Nearly 300,000 Passengers
Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest travel hubs, was scheduled to handle 665 departures and 669 arrivals on Friday, equating to over 291,000 passengers, according to aviation analytics firm Cirium. British Airways, which operates 51% of the airport’s flights, along with Virgin Atlantic and Lufthansa, are among the carriers most affected by the shutdown.
In a statement, Heathrow Airport said, “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow for the full day,” warning of “significant disruption over the coming days.” Passengers have been advised not to travel to the airport until further notice.
The disruption has led to scores of flights being diverted to other airports, while several others, including United Airlines flights from the U.S., have been canceled entirely. Some flights en route to Heathrow were forced to turn around mid-air and return to their points of departure.
Eyewitnesses Describe Chaotic Scene
Local residents reported seeing a “bright flash of white” from the substation fire in Hayes, followed by an immediate power cut across the area. Mathew Muirhead, a 42-year-old resident, described the scene while working a night shift on Thursday. “We were standing outside our branch in Hayes, and my colleague noticed smoke coming over the trees,” he told PA Media. “At 11:30 p.m., we saw a bright flash of white, and all the lights in town went out.”
Muirhead added that his wife called to inform him their home had lost power, and he later learned about Heathrow’s shutdown. The London Fire Brigade responded to the blaze at 10:23 p.m. CET on Thursday, receiving nearly 200 emergency calls related to the incident.
Government Rules Out Foul Play
Ed Miliband, the UK’s Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, stated that there is “no suggestion of foul play” in the fire. Speaking to LBC radio, Miliband said, “The conversation I’ve had with the National Grid chief executive indicates that this appears to be a catastrophic accident.”
As authorities work to restore power and investigate the cause of the fire, the incident has underscored the vulnerability of critical infrastructure and its potential to disrupt major transportation networks. Heathrow Airport has yet to announce a timeline for resuming full operations, leaving thousands of passengers in limbo.