Heathrow Airport does not know when the lights will be restored after the fire: disruptions are expected for several days
Kyiv • UNN
Heathrow Airport has a significant power outage due to a fire at a substation. Significant disruptions are expected, passengers are advised not to travel to the airport.
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport in the UK said there was no clarity on when power could be reliably restored and disruptions were expected to last for several days after a fire at a nearby substation. This was reported by UNN with reference to The Guardian.
Details
In a statement released by PA, a Heathrow spokesperson said: "There is a significant power outage at Heathrow Airport due to a major fire at a nearby electrical substation. While fire crews are responding to the incident, we have no clarity on when power can be reliably restored."
The spokesperson said the airport expects significant disruptions in the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.
"We will provide an update when more information is available on the recovery operation," the spokesperson said.
According to AP, although the cause of the fire that led to the closure of Heathrow Airport is still unknown, analysts say the incident raises concerns about the UK's ability to withstand attacks or natural disasters that damage critical infrastructure such as communications and energy networks.
Alan Mendoza, executive director of the Henry Jackson Society, a London-based think tank focusing on security and democracy in Europe, said it was particularly alarming given recent comments by British security services that Russia was waging a reckless campaign of sabotage across Europe.
"The UK's critical national infrastructure is not strengthened enough to get to the level it needs to be so we can be confident that this won't happen again. I mean, if one fire can shut down Heathrow's core systems, and then probably the backup systems as well, it suggests there's something wrong with our disaster management system," Mendoza said.
British Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told BBC Breakfast earlier that the fire at a substation near Heathrow Airport was an "unprecedented event."
According to him, the backup generator for the airport was also affected by the fire.
Miliband said there is an additional backup system that National Grid is trying to use to restore power.
"We don't know the cause of this fire. Obviously, this is an unprecedented event," the energy minister said.
Meanwhile, the BBC reports that officers from the Metropolitan Police's Counter-Terrorism Unit are investigating the large-scale fire that shut down Heathrow Airport.
Police said there was "no indication of foul play at this time" but officers were keeping an "open mind at this time" about the cause of the fire.
Context
An explosion at a substation in the London suburb of Hayes left thousands without power, and Britain's largest Heathrow Airport shut down. This resulted in the cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.
