London’s Heathrow airport closed as huge fire led to power outage

Dhaka: London’s Heathrow airport has been shut down as a fire at a nearby electrical substation caused a mass power outage overnight.

At least 1,351 flights to and from the airport have been impacted by the closure, with major disruption triggering chaos at airports around the world.

Inbound planes have been diverted to other airports, including Shannon in Ireland and Charles de Gaulle in Paris, with experts claiming the impact of disruption is “similar to 9/11”.

Reports cited a Heathrow airport spokesman saying, the site will be closed all day and will not reopen until midnight tonight.

Some 100,000 homes in west London were without power overnight as 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines battled the blaze on Nestles Avenue in Hayes.

London Fire Brigade said, the fire is now under control and London Ambulance Service confirmed that there were no casualties, according to reports.

The cause of the blaze is yet to be determined, however, Ed Miliband, the Energy Secretary, said, there was no suggestion of “foul play”.