London Heathrow Airport will be closed from midnight Friday to Saturday (21 March) due to an electrical substation fire, the airport’s press service announced. The incident means major disruption for passengers. Thousands of homes are also left without power as a result of the fire.
A spokesperson for London Heathrow Airport has warned that passengers should be prepared for significant disruption in the coming days, the Daily Telegraph reported.
An electrical substation fire in Hayes, west London, broke out on Thursday that resulted in cutting off more than 16,000 homes from electricity. Reports on social media informed about a “large explosion” heard before the fire broke out, the newspaper reported.
The fire brigade reported that a transformer at the substation had caught fire. Around 150 people were evacuated and residents were advised not to open their windows due to smoke.
“A fire at the electrical substation that supplies electricity to the UK’s largest airport, London Heathrow, was catastrophic; the airport’s backup generator was also damaged,” UK Energy Minister Ed Miliband said on LBC radio.
The minister indicated that the airport has a supplemental power system in place and is trying to get it up and running to restore its operations.
Minister Miliband reported that there is no indication that the fire was caused deliberately.
Source: PAP
Photo: X @sentdefender
Tomasz Modrzejewski
