Thousands of travellers found themselves stranded and separated from their loved ones after a devastating fire incident at the Heathrow Airport in United Kingdom knocked out power to the facility, leading to a full shutdown.

Heathrow Airport, Europe’s busiest, was closed for 24 hours starting early Friday following a major fire at an electricity substation that disrupted power to the large facility located west of London, officials reported.

Airport authorities warned of “significant disruption” in the coming days, with hundreds of flights and thousands of passengers affected.

“Heathrow is experiencing a significant power outage,” the airport operator stated on its website, confirming that the airport would remain shut until just before midnight Friday (2359 GMT).

Heathrow, which serves over 80 million passengers annually, typically handles around 1,300 takeoffs and landings per day.

According to Reuters, among those stuck in the chaos was a United States citizen, Tyler Prieb, 36, visiting London for work and to see friends.

Stranded at Paddington Station, he was desperately trying to find a way home to Nashville, Tennessee.

“I’m sure everybody is going to need a new flight somewhere, somehow,” Prieb said. “So I’m just trying to get ahead of that the best I can. Hopefully, it will just take me an extra day to get back to my wife and daughter.”

Prieb was trying to stay positive, even asking OpenAI’s ChatGPT for suggestions on how to pass the time. “I thought maybe I’d go explore another city somewhere,” he said.

John Moriarty, 75, from Boston, was also caught in the mess. He had been waiting to reunite with his daughter, who had traveled from New York to visit him. Moriarty was stuck on the phone, hoping to get through to customer service and rebook his flight.

“All the lines are busy, so I might be here another day,” he said. “Not the worst thing in the world. London is my favorite city, but I need to be home.”

For many passengers, the unexpected disruption was more than just an inconvenience – it was an emotional strain.



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