London’s Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest, has announced that it would shut on Friday owing to a “significant power outage” caused by fire.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” Heathrow Airport stated in a post on X, advising travelers not to go to the airport.
It was unknown how many flights were immediately affected. The airport announced it will be closed until midnight Friday local time.
The London Fire Brigade reported 10 fire engines and about 70 firefighters are battling a fire at an electrical substation in the west London suburb of Hayes, near the airport. The cause of the fire remains unclear at this time.
“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 minimise disruption,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said in a statement, calling the fire a “highly visible and significant incident.”
According to Goulbourne, firemen helped 29 individuals escape from surrounding houses and evacuated around 150 people.
Britain’s busiest airport encouraged passengers to contact their airlines for further information.
According to the most recent figures from travel data company OAG Aviation, Heathrow is the world’s fifth busiest airport.
