A massive fire shut down operations completely at London‘s Heathrow Airport, one of the world’s busiest, on Friday (March 21).
More than 1,300 flights were disrupted and “upwards of 145,000” passengers are suspected to have been impacted by the incident, CNN reports. Flyers were told to avoid the airport the entire day on Friday and warned of significant disruption in the coming days after planes had already been diverted away from Heathrow in the early morning hours and trains around the airport were disrupted.
“Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage. To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March. Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience,” Heathrow Airport announced on its X account.
The fire is reported to now be under control, however, the airport’s backup power supply was also affected. The cause of the fire remains under investigation, but the United Kingdom’s energy minister claimed there was “no suggestion” of foul play involved in the incident.
The large blaze near Heathrow is suspected to be a “prolonged incident” as disruption for residents nearby is expected to increase, the London Fire Brigade confirmed via CNN.
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