Fire service give update on Hayes substation blaze after police declare major incident

Jonathan Smith (American football coach)deputy Commissioner

At 11.23pm on the evening of the 20th of March, London Fire Brigade received 212 calls to a fire in a high-voltage substation near Heathrow Airport

Speaking to broadcasters at the scene in Hayes, London Fire Brigade deputy commissioner Jonathan Smith said

It's too early to say what caused this but I think obviously we will have to look hard at the causes and also the protection and the resilience that is in place for major institutions like Heathrow.

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme

We saw a bright flash of white and all the lights in town went out,

the 42-year-old said

We were stood there and we could feel the heat on our faces because the fire was so big

She added

I was crossing a bridge and there was a huge explosion.

One witness told LBC

Around 20 people have been evacuated from neighbouring properties and a 200-metre cordon has been put in place as a precaution with around 150 people evacuated

The London Fire Brigade said in a statement during the early hours of Friday

We’re aware of a widespread power cut affecting many of our customers around the Hayes, Hounslow and surrounding areas,

they said

Please avoid the area".

A 100-metre cordon has been put in place around the area, with locals urged