Heathrow Airport closed the day after the fire broke out, destroying hundreds of flights

LONDON (AP) – The UK’s Heathrow Airport closed all day Friday after an electrical substation fire knocked off power, destroying flights of hundreds of thousands of passengers in one of Europe’s largest travel hubs.

Tracking services show that flights were transferred to Gatwick Airport, Charles Charles Charles Charles Gaulle Airport in Paris and Shannon Airport in Ireland.

Flightradar 24 said at least 1,350 flights to and from Heathrow Airport have been affected, including several cancelled cities from U.S. cities.

“To keep our passengers and colleagues safe, we have no choice but to close Heathrow Airport,” the airport statement said. “We expect significant disruption in the next few days and passengers should not go to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.”

Heathrow’s institution is one of The busiest airport in the world International travel. Earlier this year, it was the busiest January, with 6.3 million passengers, up more than 5% in the same period last year. January is also the 11th consecutive month with an average of 200,000 passengers per day, with the airport focusing on transatlantic travel as a key contributor.

Heathrow said it will provide updates to its operations when it has more information about available power.

National Railway cancels all trains to and from the airport.

London Fire Brigade said 10 fire trucks and about 70 firefighters were on the scene after a transformer caught fire late Thursday at a substation in western London.

Thousands of homes also lost power, with about 150 people evacuated.

Video posted on social media shows a lot of flames and smoke at the facility.

“The fire has caused power outages that affect a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption,” Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.

Scotland and Southern Power Network said in an article on X that the power outages affected more than 16,300 homes.

Emergency services were called to the scene on Thursday at 11.23pm. The cause of the fire has not been determined.

Goulbourne urged people to take safety precautions and avoid the area as staff struggled to put out the fire.

Flightaware website shows several flights to Heathrow Airport were cancelled, including two flights from John F. Kennedy International in New York, a Delta Airlines flight and American Airlines flights. United Airlines flights from Washington Dulles International were also cancelled.

Heathrow Airport is usually open at 6 a.m. due to night flight restrictions. It said the closure will last until 11:59 pm on Friday.

The UK government approved it earlier this year Build the third runway At airports, to improve economy and connectivity with the world.