London's Heathrow Airport shut till midnight after experiencing power outage due to fire

A general view of the Departure Hall in Heathrow Terminal 3 in London. (Courtesy: Reuters file photo)

Britain's Heathrow Airport will be shut until March 21 midnight after experiencing a significant power outage due to fire nearby.

The airport, in a statement, said it is experiencing a significant power outage due to a fire at an electrical substation supplying the airport.

"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until 23h59 on 21 March," Heathrow Airport posted on X.

Apologising for the inconvenience, it advised passengers not to travel to the airport and contact their airline for further information.

Thousands of homes also lost power and at least 150 people had to be evacuated after the transformer within an electrical substation caught fire in west London.

London Fire Brigade said 10 fire engines and around 70 firefighters were on the scene of the fire, which started late Thursday night.

"The fire has caused a power outage affecting a large number of homes and local businesses, and we are working closely with our partners to minimize disruption," Assistant Commissioner Pat Goulbourne said.

He urged people to take safety precautions and avoid the area as crews worked to extinguish the blaze.

Heathrow is one of the world’s busiest airports for international travel. It had its busiest January on record earlier this year, with more than 6.3 million passengers, up more than 5% for the same period last year. January also was the 11th month in a row it averaged over 200,000 passengers a day, with the airport citing transatlantic travel as a key contributor.