LONDON — A fire near London’s Heathrow Airport has caused global travel chaos after flights were canceled or delayed.
The fire was not at the airport, instead, it occurred at an electrical substation, causing a power outage at the hub.
The fire was caused by “a transformer comprising 25,000 liters of cooling oil that was fully alight,” London Fire Brigade spokesperson Deputy Commissioner Jonathan Smith said.
“The restoration of power is our priority,” Smith said.
Most of the fire is out and no one was hurt in the blaze.
Some flights may resume Friday
Update 12:20 p.m. ET March 21: Some flights could resume on Friday night with most returning to the air on Saturday, airport officials said.
We hope to run a full operation tomorrow and will provide further information shortly. Our priority remains the safety of our passengers and those working at the airport. We apologise for the inconvenience caused by this incident. (2/2)
— Heathrow Airport (@HeathrowAirport) March 21, 2025
Lights on at Heathrow Terminal 4
Update 11:45 a.m. ET March 21: Some of the lights have been turned back on. The power company National Grid said it restored power to “parts of Heathrow” on an interim basis.
No indication of power restoration
Update 9:49 a.m. ET March 21: Airport officials are not sure when power will be restored but do expect the travel issues to last for several days.
Earlier officials said they planned on having Heathrow open on Saturday.
Counter-terrorism police lead investigation
Update 9:00 a.m. ET March 21: London’s counter-terrorism police are leading the investigation of the fire “given the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure.”
“Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries,” the Metropolitan Police said.
“This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”
There was no sign of foul play.
Original report: About 1,300 flights are expected to be affected with an estimated 145,000 travelers impacted, with issues potentially continuing for days.
About 80 airlines fly out of Heathrow. Flights were being diverted either to other British airports, other parts of Europe or told to return to their originating airport.
Delta, American Airlines and Jet Blue have issued waivers for those affected by the issues at Heathrow.
“This will clearly have a significant impact on our operation and our customers,” British Airways said in a statement. The airline had 340 flights scheduled to land at Heathrow on Friday.
The airport is expected to reopen at 11:59 p.m. local time.
The fire also affected train schedules in the area.
Twenty-nine people from homes near the airport had to be evacuated. Another 150 people were in an exclusion zone.
The London Fire Brigade said that the blaze was under investigation but there was “no suggestion” of foul play.
Check back for more on this developing story.
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