London’s Heathrow Airport has gone dark.
After a fire erupted at a power station near the United Kingdom’s busiest airport, they have closed their doors and runways until at least March 22, affecting over 1,000 flights through the weekend and 200,000 passengers flying to and from Heathrow.
The fire, which erupted at Hayes electrical substation near Heathrow at around 8:23 p.m. GMT, has been mostly contained as of the early hours of the morning local London time. However, power has still not been restored to Heathrow or others in the neighboring area, per NBC News. (National Grid UK estimated about 5,000 customers were affected by the flames.)
In terms of the immediate air travel impact of Heathrow’s closure, aviation expert John Strickland told the British PA News agency today that it was a “contained version of 9/11.”
“I remembered seeing on those occasions—particularly more so on 9/11—it happened so quick and then U.S. airspace was closed, they were turning back aircraft and holding planes,” he said. “Heathrow being such a busy airport and full, there’s no kind of wriggle room for getting out of these kind of things.”
As for the cause of the fire, experts are still trying to determine what led to the massive eruption.
“We are working with the London Fire Brigade to establish the cause of the fire which remains under investigation,” a police spokesperson told NBC News. “While there is currently no indication of foul play we retain an open mind at this time.”
However, due to the scale of the flames and those affected, the police noted they are taking the investigation very seriously.
“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,” the spokesperson added. “This is due to the specialist resources and capabilities within that command that can assist in progressing this investigation at pace to minimize disruption and identify the cause.”
And with the airport—which serves over 84 million people each year—being out of commission, many passengers have found themselves stranded in London.
Kazumi Nakamura, who was vacationing in the city with her daughter Mana, told NBC News she was “a little upset” but otherwise doing OK.
“We’re not in a rush,” the 50-year-old said. “But we want to go home.”
