Authorities have confirmed that the fire at Heathrow airport’s substation was not suspected to be an act of arson. The incident, which occurred in Hayes last Friday, forced the closure of the UK’s busiest airport for a full day. Counter-terrorism officials were initially involved in the investigation, but the Metropolitan Police announced on Tuesday that they were no longer treating the matter as a potential criminal case.
Ongoing efforts to determine the cause of the blaze involve collaboration between law enforcement, the London Fire Brigade, the National Grid, and other relevant parties. While a resolution is being sought, reports indicate that the fire originated in a transformer within the Hayes substation at roughly midnight. The resulting power outage led to the cancellation of thousands of flights and left passengers stranded worldwide.
The disruption caused by the airport closure affected nearly 1,400 flights, with around 120 planes having to divert to alternate locations. The repercussions extended beyond air travel, causing a halt in the flow of valuable goods passing through Heathrow. Furthermore, the power outage resulting from the fire left over 63,000 homes without electricity, as confirmed by Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks.
Despite the temporary shutdown, Heathrow resumed operations after 18 hours of inactivity. The incident has raised concerns regarding the airport’s ability to withstand such challenges, prompting scrutiny of the broader energy resilience in the UK. Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has emphasized the importance of extracting valuable lessons from this event to enhance preparedness and response measures in the future
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