London’s Heathrow airport has been forced to close after a nearby fire caused a power outage, disrupting scheduled flights and bringing turmoil to global travel.
The UK’s main airport, one of the world’s busiest international flight hubs, said it would shut down operations on Friday after a blaze at an electricity substation supplying the airport caused a “significant power outage”. It said about 1,300 flights would be cancelled on Friday.
The airport warned that it did “not have clarity” on when power would be restored.
Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks, the local electricity distributor, said 67,000 homes and businesses in the area were cut off overnight. By 7:45am, power had been restored to most, with 4,900 homes and businesses still without electricity.
The London Fire Brigade dispatched firefighters late on Thursday to tackle the blaze in Hayes, near Heathrow. It said just before 8am that the fire had been brought under control by 6:28am.
The cause of the fire is unknown. A government official said there was no evidence of foul play.
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