Heathrow runway reopens after grass fire causes delays and cancellations

A grass fire near Heathrow Airport briefly closed one of the airport's runways on Thursday evening, disrupting flights at the UK's busiest air hub. The fire affected the Southern Runway and led to delays, cancellations and some diversions to other airports. Heathrow later said both runways were fully operational again after the incident was brought under control.

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Firefighters were first called at 17:37 local time, according to the London Fire Brigade. Crews found flames burning through around one hectare of grassland near the runway and had the fire under control by 18:07. The brigade said it was supported by the airport's fire service, with firefighters from Heathrow, Hayes and Feltham attending the scene.

The closure left Heathrow operating with only one runway for a period during the summer holiday travel season. That created knock-on disruption for later flights, with several services reported as cancelled after the runway reopened. Heathrow said its teams acted quickly to resolve what it described as a small grass fire adjacent to the Southern Runway, and apologised to passengers for the disruption.

The incident matters because Heathrow is one of Europe's busiest airports and a major international transfer point. Even a short closure can affect aircraft rotations, crew schedules and onward connections across multiple destinations. In aviation, disruption at a hub airport can spread well beyond the immediate area, especially when flights and crews are left in the wrong place for later departures.

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The fire also highlights the operational sensitivity of airport safety perimeters, where even a grass fire can force a temporary reduction in capacity. The supporting information indicates the blaze was believed to have been within the safety perimeter, but it is not clear from the available material what caused it. No injuries were reported in the supplied information, and there is no indication that the airport's wider operations were shut down.

What remains unclear is whether the fire was accidental or whether investigators will identify a specific cause. It is also not yet clear how many flights were delayed, cancelled or diverted in total, or how long the knock-on effects will last. Heathrow said both runways were back in service, but passengers on later services may still face schedule changes as airlines recover from the disruption.

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