The outage was caused by a major fire at the Hayes power substation in West London.
London Heathrow airport is closed for the day on Friday, March 21, due to a power failure following a fire in an electrical substation, its operator announced early this morning. Heathrow is Europe’s largest airport and the second busiest in the world.
In a press release, the fire department announced on Friday morning that it had successfully brought the blaze under control.
The fire, reported on Thursday evening, was at the Hayes electricity substation in West London, which supplies the airport, the fire department said.
Around 150 people were evacuated from the area, and a 200-metre safety perimeter was set up.
Firefighters asked residents to keep their windows closed due to the heavy smoke generated by the blaze, urging people to avoid the area.
Built in 1946, Heathrow is the largest of the six international airports serving the British capital.
With over 80 million passengers a year, some 230,000 a day, and 1,300 take-offs and landings a day, Heathrow, which serves 80 countries, is ranked among the world’s top five airports.