A runway at Heathrow Airport was temporarily closed on Wednesday after a grassfire broke out nearby, with reports of delays to flights.
A photograph shared on social media from inside the airport appeared to show smoke rising over the runway area as the incident unfolded.
Crews from London Fire Brigade were called to the blaze at around 5.30pm and the fire was brought under control by 6.07pm.
According to Aviation News UK, at least 18 inbound flights were diverted this evening as a result of the incident.
Five planes were diverted to Stansted, five to Gatwick, three to Manchester and one each to Birmingham, Luton, Paris CDG, Cairo and Billund.
In an update on Wednesday, Heathrow Airport said both runways are now fully operational, as they apologised for any disruption caused.
šØ Iām not know for breaking newsā¦ but thereās a fire near the runway at Heathrow which is delaying all flightsā¦ hereās my view from the terminalā¦#heathrow #breakingnews #jameswade #rovingreporter pic.twitter.com/ru9Wb5uJgx
ā James Wade (@JamesWade180) August 6, 2026
Flight tracking accounts reported aircraft were being held, while another source said the blaze had been extinguished.
Normal operations are beginning to resume, according to Aviation News UK, but passengers are warned disruption is expected to continue throughout the day.
Travellers have been advised to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
A spokesperson for Heathrow Airport said: āEarlier today, our teams acted quickly to safely resolve a small grass fire adjacent to the Southern Runway.
āThanks to their swift response, both runways are now fully operational. A huge thank you to everyone involved.
āWe apologise for any disruption and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We wish everyone a safe onward journey.ā
A spokesperson for London Fire Brigade said: āLondon Fire Brigade was called to reports of a fire on an area of grass near a runway at Heathrow Airport.
āAround one hectare of grassland was destroyed by the fire. Crews from the Brigade were supported by the airport's fire service as they worked to bring the incident under control.
āThe Brigade was first called about the incident at 1737, and crews had the fire under control by 1807.
āFirefighters from Heathrow, Hayes and Feltham fire stations attended the scene.ā
