Europe's busiest airport closes after major fire

Britain's Heathrow Airport has been closed for 24 hours after a major fire at an electricity substation caused a power outage at the airport.

London Fire Brigade said there was a significant fire at a substation in Hayes, a town near Heathrow Airport, causing a power outage, AFP reported. Ten fire engines and around 70 firefighters were at the scene, while around 150 people were evacuated from nearby properties.

Images on social media showed huge flames and smoke billowing from the substation, according to AFP. Other videos, apparently taken inside Heathrow terminals, showed shuttered shops and deserted corridors lit only by emergency lights.

A fire breaks out at an electrical substation in the area supplying electricity to Heathrow Airport in Hayes, west London (UK), in this image from a video posted on social network X on March 21.

"The fire has caused power outages affecting many homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption," said London Fire Brigade assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne, adding that the fire was first reported at 11.23pm on March 21 (UK time).

British utility company Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said on its website that the unplanned power outage left more than 16,000 homes in the area without power, according to AFP.

Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest airport, said it expected significant disruption in the coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected, according to AFP.

"Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage," the airport operator said in a statement on its website, adding that Heathrow would be closed until early March 22. The operator advised "passengers not to come to the airport under any circumstances until it reopens."

Online flight tracking site FlightRadar24 estimates that the closure of Heathrow will affect at least 1,351 flights to and from the airport. FlightRadar24 said that 120 flights to the airport were in the air when the closure was announced.

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