London's Heathrow Airport closed due to fire that caused a power outage

London's Heathrow Airport, Europe's largest, was closed Friday because of a fire at an electrical substation that supplies power to the terminal, officials said.

"Heathrow is facing a major power outage. To maintain the safety of our passengers and colleagues, Heathrow will be closed until [11:59 p.m. GMT] on March 21," according to a statement on the airport's website.

Several flights were diverted, according to flight monitoring site FlightRadar24, while airport authorities said they expected "significant disruptions over the next few days."

London firefighters said the fire was recorded at an electrical substation in Hayes, a town in the London borough of Hillingdon.

"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," said Pat Goulbourne, assistant commissioner of the fire department.

Heathrow serves more than 80 million passengers a year.

Fire that led to Heathrow airport closure brought under control

The fire at an electrical station that led to the closure of Heathrow Airport is "under control," the London Fire Brigade said Friday.

"We successfully contained the fire and prevented further spread," reported the fire department, which said that "while power has been restored to some properties, we continue to work closely with our partners to minimize disruption."

British anti-terror police investigate fire that forced Heathrow closure

London police's anti-terrorism unit will investigate a fire at an electrical power station that led to the closure of Heathrow Airport on Friday, the Metropolitan Police announced.

"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," police said in a statement.

Heathrow announces the resumption of 'some flights' on Friday

London's Heathrow Airport announced it will resume operations with "some flights" on Friday, pending "full" resumption on Saturday, after a fire at a power station supplying it led to its closure.

"We're pleased to say we're now safely able to begin some flights later today," an airport spokesman said in a statement picked up by AFP, expecting a "full" resumption tomorrow, although he added that "getting back to a full and safe operation takes time."