The fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London, sparked travel chaos at Heathrow Airport with hundreds of flights being cancelled or diverted due to the incident
Counter terrorist police are investigating whether sabotage played a part in the fire that sparked chaos at Heathrow Airport.
Detectives were deployed because of their expertise and to see whether sabotage played a role in the fire at an electrical substation in Hayes, west London, earlier today. The fire knocked out power for hundreds of nearby residents and also led Heathrow Airport to suspend flights in and out of the site on Friday.
Counter terrorist detectives were deployed as part of a precautionary measure rather than an indication that foul play was involved. A London Fire Brigade spokesperson told The Mirror: “The Brigade’s fire investigators are working closely with the Metropolitan Police Service on the investigation into the cause of the fire.”
A Metropolitan Police statement said: “We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation. While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.
“Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries. This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimise disruption and identify the cause.”
Should sabotage be ruled out, there will still be major security questions about how a major piece of infrastructure could be completely taken down by a single fire. Dr Alan Mendoza, of the Henry Jackson society think tank, told the outlet: “Today’s situation at Heathrow shows Britain’s creaking critical national infrastructure problem.
“Fires happen. But they shouldn’t be capable of taking out an entire airport as it suggests backup systems are inadequate. A full national audit is required to prevent recurrences.”
A LFB spokesperson said around 11am this morning that “10 per cent” of the fire was still ongoing. “Disruption is expected to continue,” an LFB spokesperson told a press conference near the site of the fire.
Hundreds of flights to the UK were diverted to London Gatwick, Ireland’s Shannon Airport and Charles de Gaulle Airport in France. There were reports of some flights from the US and Canada being rerouted back to airports in North America.
Around 220,000 people were due to travel through the airport today. The chaos will likely impact several flights from across the world as airlines rush to deal with the growing backlog.
Some 1,357 flights have already been cancelled, diverted or delayed due to the fire’s impact on the airport. It is unclear how quickly flights will resume at Heathrow once it reopens.
Heathrow has announced it is closed until 11.59pm, but the Government restricts the number of flights that are allowed to take off or land at the airport between 11.30pm and 6am each day. The airport’s website states: “Sometimes planes need to operate in the night period when they have not been scheduled to do so.
“This could be for a number of reasons such as delays that have built up during the day or for a technical fault with an aircraft that needs to be repaired. There is always a delicate balance to be struck as to whether a flight should be allowed at night, considering the effects on local communities, passengers and the airline network.”