London's Heathrow Airport was closed until midnight on Friday after a fire at an electric substation that was fed to the airport caused a “severe blackout,” leaving thousands of homes without electricity.
In that statement Website Heathrow Airport, shared on social media, said that all passengers were encouraged not to travel to the airport.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23H59 on March 21st,” the statement said.
The fire at an electric substation in West London left over more than 16,000 homes without electricity, forcing more than 100 people to be evacuated.
The London Fire Service said the transformer inside the substation had come down and there were 10 firefighters and about 70 firefighters at the scene on Nessless Avenue in Hayes.
Approximately 150 people were evacuated from surrounding facilities, and as a precaution, a 200-meter cordon was introduced.
Vice Chairman Pat Gouldborne said: “This is a very prominent and important incident, and our firefighters are tirelessly trying in challenging situations to control the fire as quickly as possible.
“The fire has caused a blackout that has affected many homes and local businesses. We are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption.”
Firefighters led 29 people safely from surrounding facilities.
The brigade said about 200 calls have been received in connection with incidents with crews in Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding areas.
The Scotland and Southern Power Network said in an X post that there are massive power outages in areas affecting more than 16,300 homes.
“We know of the widespread blackouts that affect many customers in Hayes, Hounslow and the surrounding area,” it said.
Emergency services were called to the scene Thursday at 11:23pm. The cause of the fire has not yet been determined.
Ghoulbone said the crew were working to put out the flames, so firefighters urged people to take safety attention. “This is a long-term incident and the crew remains on the scene all night,” he said.
“As we head into the morning, we expect more chaos and we urge people to avoid the area whenever possible.”
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