Heathrow Airport fireplace all we all know from what occurred to flights cancelled and actual value
Heathrow Airport slammed shut on Friday morning as the London Fire Brigade dispatched 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters to control a blazing transformer at an electrical substation caught fire in west London
A raging blaze sparked overnight has shut down Heathrow Airport. Every departure and arrival flight has been cancelled until Saturday, as a result of a power outage caused by the as yet mystery fire at an electrical substation.
A statement posted on the airport’s X account read: “Due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport, Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage.
Some 120 flights were in the air when the closure was announced, with some turned around and others diverted to Gatwick Airport outside London, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris or Ireland’s Shannon Airport, tracking services showed.
Where’s the fire?
A transformer within the North Hyde electrical substation caught fire in west London. Crucially, the UK’s busiest airport, Heathrow, relies on the substation to power everything.
The London Fire Brigade had 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters worked to control the blaze hours after flames soared into the sky when a transformer at an electrical substation caught fire in west London late Thursday night. The fire continued to smoulder after daybreak.
What caused the fire?
The cause of the fire is so far unknown but theories, including those sounding particularly conspiracy-like point towards potential sabotage. One such line of thought has been shared by a Ukrainian blogger who’s connected the blaze to the threats of Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
DevanaUkraine wrote on X: “Power station near Heathrow in flames – and no, I don’t believe in coincidences. Not after Putin suddenly ordered to stop striking Ukraine’s power grid. Not while London pushes for peacekeeping efforts. This is fear. This is hatred. This is Putin’s way of saying: “I’ll burn everything before I lose.” This isn’t just about Ukraine. This is a threat to NATO. And the sooner the world wakes up, the more chance we have to stop him.”
Has anyone been hurt?
There have been no casualties or anyone treated for injuries at the scene of the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, the London Ambulance Service said. Hazardous area response teams and an incident response officer are currently on the scene, they said.
“We are currently supporting emergency services colleagues at the scene of a fire in Hayes,” a spokesperson said. “Please try to avoid the area and, if you live nearby, stay indoors and keep windows closed.”
How many flights will be affected?
With Heathrow Airport ruling out any flights until Saturday morning, that’s a lot of holidaymakers, commuters and travellers stuck where they are. No planes can leave and none can land. In fact, a total of 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow have, or at least will be cancelled, according to online flight tracking service FlightRadar24.
Has anyone else lost power?
Some 100,000 homes were without power overnight as a result of the fire near Heathrow Airport, Ed Miliband said, adding this had now been brought down to 4,000.The Energy Secretary told BBC Breakfast: “My understanding from the grid is 100,000 homes were without power as a result of this fire overnight. The figure they gave to me a short time ago was that that’s down now to 4,000. But, obviously, this is a fast-moving situation and we will be doing everything we can to work with grid on the work they’re doing to restore power.”
Asked how a fire at a single substation had been able to severely disrupt the UK’s busiest airport, Mr Miliband said: “We don’t know the cause of this fire. It’s obviously an unprecedented event. But I think what you’re right to say is we will want to understand both the causes of this event and what lessons, if any, it can teach us.”
Can I get a refund on my cancelled flight?
Rory Boland, editor of magazine Which? Travel, said passengers affected by Heathrow’s closure are entitled to assistance from their airline.He said: “Don’t attempt to travel to the airport, but instead keep in touch with your airline for their advice. If your flight is cancelled you won’t be entitled to compensation as these events will be considered an extraordinary circumstance, but you will be entitled to assistance from your airline, including overnight accommodation if needed.
“Passengers will have the choice of being rerouted or accepting a refund, and if you opt for the former your airline is obliged to get you on a new flight as soon as possible, including with rival carriers from alternative airports. If you instead accept a refund, be aware that your airline will have no further duty of care to you and you’ll need to make your own arrangements.
“It’s also worth checking the terms of your travel insurance to see if you are able to recoup any other expenses you may have incurred as a result of this incident, such as car hire or airport parking fees.”
When will Heathrow re-open?
Airport bosses have confirmed both passengers and staff will be kept out of the vicinity until gone midnight tonight at the very earliest. That’s not to say everything will be back to normal over the weekend, though.
“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.”
The airport added: “”We expect significant disruption over the coming days.”
What’s the real cost of the chaos?
An aviation expert has compared the impact on flights from the closure of Heathrow to the September 11 terrorist attacks in the US in 2001 and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud in April 2010.
Consultant John Strickland told the PA news agency: “It’s a contained version of 9/11 or, to an extent, the Icelandic volcanic eruption.“I remembered seeing on those occasions – particularly more so on 9/11 – it happened so quick and then US airspace was closed, they were turning back aircraft and holding planes. That’s the parallel I would make. Heathrow being such a busy airport and full, there’s no kind of wriggle room for getting out of these kind of things.”
