Heathrow Airport closes due to major power outage caused by substation fire

 Heathrow Airport closes due to major power outage caused by substation fireIn short:

Heathrow Airport has closed due a power outage caused by a fire at a nearby substation.

A flight-tracking website says more than 1,300 flights to and from the airport will be affected.

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Fire crews are responding to the incident but there is no clarity on when power may be reliably restored.The world's fifth-busiest airport will be closed for an entire day, impacting more than 1,300 flights around the world after a huge fire at a nearby electrical substation wiped out its power.

Flight-tracking website FlightRadar24 confirmed at least 120 flights currently in the air bound for Heathrow Airport were having to divert due to the closure.

It said at least 1,351 flights to and from Heathrow would be affected on Friday, local time, not including flights that might be cancelled or delayed due to aircraft being out of position.

"Heathrow is one of the major hubs of the world," FlightRadar24 spokesperson Ian Petchenik said. 

"This is going to disrupt airlines' operations around the world."In an advisory on its website, the airport said it had closed "to maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues", and would remain shut until midnight on March 21.

"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information. We apologise for the inconvenience," the statement said.

Videos of the incident show bright orange flames shooting into the air at the substation, as fire crews continue to battle the large blaze.

An airport spokesperson told Reuters there was no clarity on when power may be reliably restored, and they expected significant disruption in the coming days.The London Fire Brigade said its crews were tackling the fire in Hayes in west London and had evacuated about 150 people, establishing a 200-metre cordon as a precaution.

They said the cause of the fire was not known.

Authorities said thousands of homes and businesses were without power, and warned residents to keep windows and doors closed and avoid the area where possible, due to a "significant amount of smoke".No power back-up

Britain's Energy Minister Ed Miliband described the fire as "catastrophic" and said the back-up generator for the airport had also been affected.

He said the National Grid was seeking to use a further back-up generator to restore power. 

Eurocontrol, which manages air traffic control operations across Europe, said on its operations website that no arrivals were being allowed at Heathrow due to the power outage and there were diversion plans in place for flights.