Heathrow Airport closed after ‘significant power outage’ due to nearby fire

Heathrow Airport is to remain shut until midnight due to a large fire at a nearby electricity substation.

A spokesperson said it was “experiencing a significant power outage across the airport” and warned passengers to stay away until further notice.

A statement said: “Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored.

“To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025.”

“We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens,” the statement added.

The fire is at a substation in Hayes, about 1.5 miles away, and thousands of homes are believed to be without power.

Images show large flames and plumes of thick black smoke.

London Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports and had a record 83.9 million passengers last year, with a plane landing or taking off around every 45 seconds.

The airport’s website is currently down as travellers scramble for information.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said overnight that 10 engines and around 70 firefighters were at the scene on Nestles Avenue.

It said a transformer within the substation is alight, but the cause is so far unknown.

Around 150 people have been evacuated and a 200-metre cordon is in place.

LFB said it had received more than 190 calls over the incident – with the first received at 11.23pm.

Residents have been urged to keep windows and doors closed due to the “significant amount of smoke”.

Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks said at 12.23am on X that a “widespread power cut” was affecting Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas.

However, it estimated it would be “resolved by 3am”

A graphic on the company’s website suggested around 16,000 homes were affected.

Firefighters from Heathrow, Hayes, Hillingdon, Southall and other stations are all involved in the response.

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