What happened at Heathrow airport?
A fire broke out Thursday night at an electrical substation in Nestles Avenue in Hayes, which is less than 5 kilometers from Heathrow.
Around 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines were working to douse the fire at the substation, which was still burning Friday morning. The fire caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes, local businesses and Heathrow airport.
Around 150 people were evacuated from the surrounding area and a 200-meter cordon established. The fire brigade advised local residents to keep windows and doors locked to keep smoke out of their homes.
By Friday morning, authorities had restored power to some properties.
Who is affected?
Heathrow is Europe’s — and the U.K.’s — busiest airport, handling over 1,300 take offs and landings a day.
According to flight tracking site Flightradar24, 1,351 flights were scheduled at Heathrow on Friday. Many of them will now either be canceled altogether, or diverted to other airports, throwing thousands of passengers’ travel plans into chaos. Heathrow also acts as a major worldwide hub for passengers flying onward to other destinations.
