Hundreds of Flights Canceled at London Heathrow Due to Fire

Britain's London Heathrow Airport (LHR) was closed, and hundreds of flights were canceled after it lost power due to a fire at a nearby energy substation. 

Reuters reported that one of the world's biggest international hubs reported hundreds of delays and cancellations following the fire, which broke out around 11 p.m. on Thursday. 

FlightAware's cancellation and delay data shows that 67 percent of its departures, around 467 flights, have been canceled as of Friday morning, and 50 percent of its arrivals for the day, around 347 flights, were also canceled.

British Airways is the airline most impacted by the emergency closure, reporting just over 500 canceled flights today. 

Heathrow was scheduled to handle 1,351 flights today, with 291,000-some passengers. Flights heading there were told to divert to other airports in Britain and Europe, while some were forced to head back to their departure airports. The airport will be closed for the rest of the day. 

"Passengers are advised not to travel to the airport and should contact their airline for further information," Heathrow said. "We apologise for the inconvenience."

Travelers expected to head to London Heathrow today should check the airport's website and with their airline for information on their next steps.

The substation's 25,000 liters of cooling oil in its transformer had caught fire. Due to its size, the power backup system also failed. Firefighters responded to the fire, putting it out early in the morning. They suspect no foul play. 

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