Heathrow Airport shut down after massive fire causes widespread disruption
Fire at electrical substation forces closure of UK's Heathrow Airport (Photo: Getty Images)
Heathrow Airport in London completely halted operations on Friday after a significant fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a major power outage, reports USA Today.
The blaze erupted late Thursday night at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London, rapidly knocking out power to Heathrow Airport and more than 16,000 nearby homes and businesses.
Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne from the London Fire Brigade described it as a "prolonged incident," adding that about half of the transformer was still burning by early Friday morning.
"The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption," Goulbourne stated. Approximately 150 residents in the immediate area were evacuated, and emergency crews led at least 29 people to safety overnight.
Global travel chaos as Heathrow suspends flights
As a direct result, Heathrow Airport - one of the busiest international hubs - was forced to suspend all flights for the day.
Eurocontrol confirmed that arriving flights were not permitted, with at least 120 planes diverted to alternate airports. Flights en route from the US, including those operated by Qantas and United Airlines, had to reroute or even return to their departure airports.
"Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world. This is going to disrupt airlines’ operations around the world," explained Ian Petchenik, spokesperson for flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.
Heathrow authorities have not confirmed when the airport will fully resume normal operations and urged passengers to avoid traveling to the airport until further notice.
