Runway closes at Heathrow after grassfire breaks out as flights hit by delays

A RUNWAY closed at London Heathrow due to a grass fire as flights were hit by delays. Some departures were reportedly suspended as photos taken from a passenger terminal appeared to show smoke billowing into the sky. A runway has closed at London Heathrow due to a grass fire Credit: Alamy Smoke can be seen billowing into the sky near to one of the travel hub’s runways One traveller posted a snap to social media showing a plume of smoke near to a runway as passengers watched on. The fire has now been extinguished and the airport has apologised for the disruption after it was reportedly operating on a single runway. Sign up for The Sun newsletter Thank you! Travellers heading to the airport were also warned of delays. Aviation UK News posted to X: “Due to a grass fire at London Heathrow runway 27L has been temporarily closed. “High delays are now expected and a flow rate has been introduced. “Airport will operate on single runways for the foreseeable future.” Heathrow Runways later posted to the platform that the affected runway will be back in service at 6.45pm. A spokesperson has since said: “Earlier our teams responded to a small grass fire adjacent to the Southern Runway. Most read in The Sun “The fire has been extinguished, both runways are operational and flights continue to arrive and depart from the airport. “We apologise for any disruption caused as a result or while emergency services completed their safety checks but this was essential to ensure the safety of our passengers and colleagues, which is paramount.” A London Fire Brigade spokesperson added: “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.” It comes after commuters were told not to travel earlier today due to a major electrical failure, sparking travel chaos. National Rail warned services across the Midlands, Greater Manchester and the North West are being cancelled, delayed or rescheduled following a “fault” at a communications centre. Comment now