A substation fire in west London disrupted power, grounding over 1,300 flights at Heathrow Airport, impacting approximately 200,000 holidaymakers. The fire, which began late Thursday, involved a large transformer container and was extinguished by early Friday morning. While power was restored almost 24 hours later, passengers were warned of continued disruptions. Investigations into the cause are ongoing, with authorities indicating no foul play suspected. Heathrow's chief executive expressed deep regret for the extensive disruption and highlighted the challenges of maintaining full operational security at the airport.
Power supplies have been restored to west London homes following a substation fire that forced Heathrow Airport to ground flights on Friday.
Emergency services were first called to Nestles Avenue in Hayes, West London at 23:23 GMT on Thursday, with first responders bringing the blaze under control by 06:28 the following morning.
Heathrow's chief executive, Thomas Woldbye, apologized to passengers and described the disruption as "as big as it gets for our airport", acknowledging "we cannot guard ourselves 100%".
Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander said there was "no indication of foul play" as counter-terrorism forces continue to investigate the cause of the fire.
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