A massive explosion rocked Hayes, west London, last night, sending a "huge fireball" into the sky and triggering a widespread power outage that has forced Heathrow Airport to close.
The blaze erupted at an electrical substation on Nestles Avenue late Thursday night.
The fire has caused a significant power outage affecting Europe's busiest airport, which announced it would remain closed until midnight tonight.
Speaking to GB News, local eyewitness Gurpreet Tatla said: "It was around 11:20 pm last night when we heard an explosion. My dad heard it too, so he came outside.
Gurpreet Tatla said he saw a "massive fireball"
GB NEWS
"He saw a huge ball of fire up in the sky, and then about 10 or 15 minutes later we heard another explosion. That’s when the blackout happened, and we lost all electricity for most of the night.
"There were just loads of emergency vehicles parked down the road. A lot of people came out of their houses to have a look as well, so it got quite busy down here.
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"The firefighters literally ran a hose down the road to put the fire out."
Mark White said: "I mean, you don’t see that every day a massive fireball and flames shooting into the sky."
The witness added: "I don’t see that every day. But it was shocking, to say the least, because at the same time you don’t know what’s going on. You don’t know how it happened or where it started. It was a complete surprise to all of us, especially since there are homes right by that power station."
He continued: "I can’t imagine it’s going to be easy over there. A lot of people around here work at the airport itself."
The fire broke out just two miles away from Heathrow AirportLONDON FIRE BRIGADEThe cause of the fire remains unknown, according to the London Fire Brigade.
The closure has caused major disruption to global travel, with thousands of passengers affected. According to flight tracking website FlightRadar24, scores of flights were already being diverted to other airports.
A Heathrow Airport spokesman said: "Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage across the airport due to a large fire at a nearby electrical substation."
"To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, we have no choice but to close Heathrow until 11.59pm on 21 March 2025."
The spokesman urged passengers "not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens."
London Fire Brigade deployed approximately 70 firefighters and 10 fire engines to battle the blaze on Nestle Avenue.
The inferno has also caused widespread power outages beyond the airport. More than 16,300 homes in the area are facing blackouts due to the fire.
