A grass fire near Heathrow Airport forced the closure of one runway during the height of summer holiday travel, causing delays and cancellations. The fire, believed to have started within the safety perimeter, grounded some flights and disrupted operations at the UK's busiest airport.
Firefighters Respond to Grass Fire
Firefighters were alerted shortly after 5:30pm and found flames burning through approximately one hectare of grassland. The closure of the Southern Runway S7L left the airport with only one runway, forcing some flights to divert to other airports.
London Fire Brigade said: 'London Fire Brigade was called to reports of a fire on an area of grass near a runway at Heathrow Airport. Around one hectare of grassland was destroyed by the fire. Crews from the Brigade were supported by the airport's fire service as they worked to bring the incident under control. The Brigade was first called about the incident at 1737, and crews had the fire under control by 1807. Firefighters from Heathrow, Hayes and Feltham fire stations attended the scene.'
Runways Reopen, but Disruption Continues
Heathrow Airport said: 'Earlier today, our teams acted quickly to safely resolve a small grass fire adjacent to the Southern Runway. Thanks to their swift response, both runways are now fully operational. A huge thank you to everyone involved. We apologise for any disruption and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We wish everyone a safe onward journey.'
While the second runway has since reopened, the incident is having a knock-on effect on later flights, with several listed as cancelled. British Airways flights to Marseille, Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Nice, Munich, Lisbon and Milan appear as cancelled on Flightradar24.
