London’s Heathrow airport has been closed till midnight on Friday after a fireplace at {an electrical} substation supplying the airport brought on a “significant power outage” and left 1000’s of properties with out energy.
In a press release on its web site and shared on social media, Heathrow airport mentioned all passengers had been suggested to not journey to the airport.
“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March,” the assertion mentioned.
An airport spokesperson mentioned: “We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”
The hearth at {an electrical} substation in west London has left greater than 16,000 properties with out energy, and compelled greater than 100 individuals to evacuate.
The London fireplace brigade mentioned a transformer throughout the substation was alight, with 10 fireplace engines and about 70 firefighters on the scene at Nestles Avenue in Hayes.
About 150 individuals have been evacuated from surrounding properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution.
Assistant commissioner Pat Goulbourne mentioned: “This is a highly visible and significant incident, and our firefighters are working tirelessly in challenging conditions to bring the fire under control as swiftly as possible.
“The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimise disruption.”
Firefighters led 29 individuals from surrounding properties to security.
The brigade mentioned practically 200 calls had been acquired in relation to the incident with crews from Hayes, Heathrow, Hillingdon, Southall and surrounding areas on the scene.
Scottish and Southern Electrical energy Networks mentioned in a submit on X there was a large-scale energy outage within the space impacting greater than 16,300 properties.
“We’re aware of a widespread power cut affecting many of our customers around the Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas,” it mentioned.
Emergency companies had been known as to the scene at 11.23pm on Thursday. The reason for the hearth was but to be decided.
Goulbourne mentioned firefighters urged individuals to take security precautions as crews labored to extinguish the blaze. “This will be a prolonged incident, with crews remaining on scene throughout the night,” he mentioned.
“As we head into the morning, disruption is expected to increase, and we urge people to avoid the area wherever possible.”
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