The incident began following a trackside grass fire that caused delays and cancellations on the rail line to and from Heathrow Airport (LHR). The major disruption began Saturday, Sept. 5, and left passengers stranded at platforms between London Paddington Station, Heathrow, and Reading.
Grass fire
According to London Fire Brigade, the fire was caused by the grass beside train tracks catching fire, which had to be put out by forty crew members and six fire engines. The fire was located near North Kensington, Scrubs Lane and was extinguished in a timely fashion; it did, however, leave train operators such as the Great Western Railway unable to continue routes to Reading, as well as having to cancel Heathrow Express services and parts of the Elizabeth line.
National Rail put out a statement on its social media regarding the disruptions,
“A failure of the electricity supply caused by a fire next to the track in the London Paddington area means all lines between London Paddington and Heathrow Terminals / Reading are blocked. As a result, trains will be cancelled, delayed by up to 60 minutes or revised.”
The train tracks reportedly experienced an electricity failure due to the supply being affected by the fire.
Delays and diverted flights
This caused two flights to Heathrow Airport (LHR) to be diverted, and some disruption to passenger flights. The airport told passengers to leave extra time in preparation for delays while travelling to catch their flights.
Heathrow Airport (LHR) commented on the incident, stating
“Heathrow Express and @TfL Elizabeth line services are currently suspended due to a fire alert near Paddington. The Piccadilly line is also experiencing delays. We advise passengers to allow extra time for their journeys. We apologise for any inconvenience.”
As of today, services to LHR are back up and running with no disruptions on the relevant train lines and according to the airport’s arrivals and departure boards, flights appear to be on time without any notable delays.
This incident isn’t the first time a fire has caused major disruption; earlier the same day on Saturday, Sept. 5, a fire was extinguished on Heathrow’s southern runway after the grass beside it caught on fire, causing the runway to be closed whilst the airport’s crew handled it. Other incidents of grass area fires were reported at LHR this summer, with another grass fire having occurred on Aug. 6, 2026.
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