Heathrow Airport fire: Why is the airport closed? How long will it be closed for after fire?
Hundreds of departing and arriving flights have been cancelled at Heathrow Airport today after an overnight fire.
The fire was in an electrical substation in nearby Hayes that supplies the airport. Fire crews were called yesterday at about 11.20pm and have been at the site overnight, with an investigation launched into the cause.
At 8am today the London Fire Brigade said the fire was under control. There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, the London Ambulance Service said.
Some 100,000 homes were without power overnight as a result of the fire near Heathrow Airport, Ed Miliband said, adding this had now been brought down to 4,000.
The Energy Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “My understanding from the grid is 100,000 homes were without power as a result of this fire overnight.
“The figure they gave to me a short time ago was that that’s down now to 4,000. But, obviously, this is a fast-moving situation and we will be doing everything we can to work with grid on the work they’re doing to restore power.”
Asked how a fire at a single substation had been able to severely disrupt the UK’s busiest airport, Mr Miliband said: “We don’t know the cause of this fire. It’s obviously an unprecedented event. But I think what you’re right to say is we will want to understand both the causes of this event and what lessons, if any, it can teach us.”
National Grid, which maintains electrical infrastructure, said: “A fire at our North Hyde substation in West London has damaged equipment, leading to a loss of power supply in the area. We are working at speed to restore power supplies as quickly as possible.
“We are working alongside the DNO for the area, SSEN, to reconnect affected domestic customers. As of 0600, power has been restored to 62,000 customers, with 4,900 currently without power. Restoration efforts will continue this morning and further updates will be provided.”
Heathrow has said it will be closed until 11.59pm tonight - so effectively for all of Friday. It has warned that there will be disruption over the coming days, and has told passengers to contact their airline for details.