London’s Heathrow Airport — one of the world’s busiest — announced it was closed Friday because of a “significant power outage” from a nearby fire.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” it said in a post on X. “To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until (11:59 p.m. Friday local time). Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport.”
London Fire Brigade / Handout via REUTERS
Tracking services showed flights being diverted to London’s Gatwick Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris and Ireland’s Shannon Airport.
FlightRadar 24 said at least 1,350 flights into and out of Heathrow were affected, including several from the U.S. that were canceled.
The impact was likely to last several days as passengers attempted to make alternate plans.
Britain’s National Rail service cancelled service to and from Heathrow for the day.
BENJAMIN CREMEL / AFP via Getty Images
The London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were tackling the blaze at a substation near the airport in the west London town of Hayes. It started late Thursday night.
“This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night,” the brigade said.
At about 8 a.m. local time, the brigade said it was “under control, but we will remain on scene throughout the day.”
The fire was “producing a significant amount of smoke. Please keep your windows and doors closed and avoid the area where possible,” the brigade urged.
The power outage was “affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement in which he described the fire as “highly visible and significant.”
Kirsty Wigglesworth / AP
Goulbourne said firefighters had led 29 people to safety from nearby properties, and around 150 people evacuated.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said in a post on X that the power outage affected more than 16,300 homes.
It wasn’t immediately known what sparked the flames but British energy minister Ed Miliband told LBC Radio there was no suggestion of foul play, the Reuters news service reported.
The latest numbers from travel data provider OAG Aviation show Heathrow is the fifth busiest airport in the world.
It is Britain’s busiest.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
