Counter-terror police investigating fire

Counter-terrorism police officers have joined the investigation into a fire at an electrical substation which has halted all flights at Heathrow Airport, the BBC understands.

Numerous flights have been cancelled and people evacuated from their homes after two explosions and a fire at the substation in Hayes, west London.

A source said the use of counter-terrorism police officers was not due to any direct evidence of sabotage, but because of their skills and the need to quickly rule out foul play.

The airport, which is the UK's busiest, has warned of "significant disruption" over the coming days and told passengers not to travel "under any circumstances" until it reopens.

Emergency services were first called to the scene at 23:20 GMT, and video shared on social media showed tall flames and smoke billowing from the substation overnight.

London Fire Brigade (LFB) said the fire involved a transformer containing 25,000 litres (5,499 gallons) of cooling fluid, which had been set alight.

It said the cause was not yet known but it would be investigated by the brigade along with the Metropolitan Police.

National Grid said on X it had restored power to 62,000 customers at 06:00, and 4,900 homes remain without power.

At least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow will be affected on Friday, flight tracking website Flightradar24 said on X, with some 120 affected aircraft already in the air when the closure was announced.

The Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it was an unprecedented event which "appears to have knocked out a back-up generator as well as a substation itself".

Asked on BBC Breakfast how such a busy transport hub was able to be so severely disrupted by a fire at an electrical substation, he replied: "It's too early to answer that question. We don't know the cause of this fire."

He said the government would want to understand the causes and "what lessons, if any, it can teach us".

Ruth Cadbury, chair of the Commons Transport Committee, said the issue "does raise questions about infrastructure resilience".

Ten fire engines and about 70 firefighters were sent to tackle the blaze, LFB said, with the fire being brought under control by 06:30.

A 200m (656 ft) cordon has been put in place as a precaution, and local residents have been advised to keep doors and windows closed because of a "significant amount of smoke".

The brigade, which received nearly 200 calls about the fire, added it led 29 people to safety from nearby properties.

Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said firefighters "have made good progress in containing the fire and preventing further spread", but urged "people to avoid the area wherever possible".

A group of residents who were evacuated from their homes gathered at a nearby Premier Inn but said there had been little communication overnight, leaving them confused about where to go.

Vaneca Sinclair, 64, said she was "getting ready to go to bed" when "suddenly there was this huge bang and the house just shook".

"I thought maybe someone had crashed into the wall or something and then opened the front door... and there were just these flames everywhere down at the bottom of the road."

She described the scene as "unbelievable – the flames and the smoke and everything… it was just scary".

Ms Sinclair said police later told them to return home and grab essentials before evacuating, but no-one told them where to gather and eventually they walked to the hotel where they could have hot drinks and use the toilets.

"I'm absolutely shattered now," she said.

Her neighbour Savita Kapur, 51, said she "literally just ran out of the house" when she heard the first explosion.

She said police officers told them to go back inside before eventually telling her she needed to leave.

"I have an elderly mother who is in her 80s and not very well at all - I had to escort her into my car and get her out of the area and drop her off to my sisters."

Ms Kapur said a "second explosion went off" as she was driving along the road "and the whole ground shook".

Hillingdon Council said in an update on its website: "Most evacuees have dispersed and have made arrangements themselves, and the council is assisting 12 people with hotel accommodation until it is safe to return to their homes."

Four schools - Pinkwell Primary, Botwell House, Dr Tripletts and The Global Academy - are closed along with Nestles Avenue Early Years Centre and Pinkwell Children's Centre.

The council said it would provide updates on whether any more local schools need to close.

Independent MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell said he was "pretty shocked" and worried about the ongoing situation.

"There have to be questions asked about how the council reacted to this," he said.

"I don't want to be over-critical but I think they need to improve their performance. A lot of the residents didn't feel very happy about not having information until quite late on."

He added he hoped residents will be allowed back into their homes later on Friday and said he was told there would be a meeting for residents to update them.

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson said: "To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23:59 on 21 March 2025."

"We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation," they added.

"Whilst fire crews are responding to the incident, we do not have clarity on when power may be reliably restored."

The airport has apologised for the disruption and has advised passengers to contact their airlines for further information.

Heathrow is the UK's largest aviation hub, handling about 1,300 landings and take-offs each day. A record 83.9 million passengers passed through its terminals last year, according to its latest data.

Several airlines with flights due to land at or take off from Heathrow have been cancelled or diverted to other airports.

Passengers have been advised to contact their airlines for the latest updates.

BBC journalist Thomas Mackintosh was among several bleary-eyed Scots in Athens who attended the Nations League football match against Greece on Thursday but were up before sunrise for a flight to Heathrow.

He said the group had cleared passport control and security in good time and as they were queuing for some breakfast a staff member shouted: "All flights to Heathrow cancelled."

He managed to get a seat on another flight to Gatwick and said others were having to find different ways to get home.

"We know of a few other Tartan Army friends who have tried to get flights back to Scotland via Dublin, Milan, and Rome. I've even heard Istanbul mentioned - so it gives you an idea of the fresh travel plans people are having to draw up and fork out for."

• Heathrow Express, which connects the airport with Paddington station, is running a half-hourly reduced service. It is only accepting passengers from terminals to help them leave the airport, with people at Paddington not being allowed to board
• The Elizabeth line has no service between Hayes & Harlington and Heathrow Airport, with severe delays between Paddington and Hayes & Harlington
• The Piccadilly line, which also goes to the airport, is running with a good service
• Hillingdon Council said local road closures were affecting bus routes, with diversions and cancellations being put in place
• The M4 is closed between junction three and four and the Terminal Four spur roads are also closed, according to the council