LONDON’S HEATHROW SHUTDOWN SPARKS TRAVEL TURMOIL FOLLOWING SUBSTATION FIRE

Fri 21 March 2025:

Heathrow Airport in London will remain closed throughout Friday, with over 1,300 flights expected to be canceled due to a significant power outage caused by a nearby fire. Travelers have been advised that flight disruptions may persist for days as the airport awaits the restoration of electricity, following what government officials described as a rare and extraordinary event.

The London Fire Brigade responded to a blaze at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London, shortly after 11pm on Thursday, resulting in power loss to thousands of residences and the continent’s busiest airport.

The closure of Heathrow, Britain’s biggest airport and one of the busiest in the world, is expected to immediately affect more than 1,350 flights to and from the airport on Friday.

According to the online flight tracking service FlightRadar24, 120 flights to Heathrow were in the air when the closure was announced.

Britain’s Heathrow Airport will be closed on March 21 after a huge fire at an electrical substation knocked out power to the airport and thousands of homes, disrupting flight schedules around the world pic.twitter.com/ZnYtzjeF2e

— TRT World (@trtworld) March 21, 2025

More than 70 firefighters tackled the blaze, which the brigade said at 8am was under control. The cause of the fire is unknown, but sources indicated there was no immediate suspicion of foul play.

Investigators continue to believe the fire was not the result of a deliberate act, but stress inquiries are at an early stage.

Detectives from Scotland Yard’s counter-terrorism command are being deployed as part of the investigation, but that is described as routine and nothing more than a precaution.

Counter-terrorism detectives bring some specialist skills but also they have the security clearance to access sensitive material as investigators try to establish the fire’s cause.

Authorities, including from the intelligence service, are monitoring and would be updated if the police led investigation suggests anything suspicious led to the fire.

Heathrow is part of the UK’s critical national infrastructure and thus a potential target for terrorism or sabotage in pursuance of a cause. Espionage and sabotage in the UK backed by state actors has risen in recent years.

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Met’s Counter Terrorism Command leads the investigation

The Metropolitan policehas now confirmed that the counter-terrorism command is leading enquiries as to the source of fire at the substation in Hayes, while stressing there is “currently no indication of foul play.”

A spokesperson for the Met said:

“We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.

Given the location of the sub-station and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries.

This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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