Shocking drone footage from 'massive explosion' that forced Heathrow Airport to shut down

Shocking drone footage has revealed the extent of the blaze at an electrical substation near Heathrow Airport.

Earlier today (21 March), it was confirmed that the UK's busiest airport would be closed after a fire ripped through North Hyde electrical substation in West London.

The blaze has caused a power outage in the area, with thousands of homes also believed to be impacted by the power cut. Meanwhile Heathrow is currently expected to remain closed until midnight, causing major travel disruption across the UK as 200,000 air passengers have their flights cancelled.

@BBCLondonNews There’s a huge fire in Hayes - London, looks like North Hyde Electricity sub station pic.twitter.com/PJNpbHjZxu

— Vil (@fire_at_Vill) March 20, 2025

Nearby residents reported that they'd heard a 'massive explosion' before the power station went up in flames.

"We saw a bright flash of white and all the lights in town went out," one local told PA, while a second added heard the explosion just moments before all the power 'went off'.

"All the power went off, it just smelled like burning," she added.

Chilling drone footage captured last night has since revealed the extent of the blaze at the substation, with the fire currently believed to have been caused by a transformer.

Watch the clip below:

London's Metropolitan police service has since confirmed there is currently 'no indication' of foul play at the moment, but added that the force's Counter Terrorism Command would be leading the investigation into the cause of the fire.

"While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time," the statement read (via BBC).

"Given the location of the substation and the impact this incident has had on critical national infrastructure, the Met’s Counter Terrorism Command is now leading enquiries."

"It's too early to say what the precise cause of this was, but we'll obviously want to understand the cause and what, if any, lessons can be learned about the resilience of our infrastructure," Energy Secretary Ed Miliband told ITV News.

Meanwhile, a statement from Heathrow Airport warned of 'significant disruption' to air travel in the coming days, with flights diverted to Gatwick Airport, Charles de Gaulle Airport in Paris, and Shannon Airport in the Republic of Ireland.

"We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens," the statement read.

“We will provide an update when more information on the resumption of operations is available. We know this will be disappointing for passengers and we want to reassure that we are working as hard as possible to resolve the situation.”