Investigation launched after fire cripples Heathrow Airport

British authorities have ordered an investigation into the UK’s “energy resilience” and electrical infrastructure after a massive fire Friday knocked out power to London’s Heathrow Airport, stranding around 200,000 passengers.

Officials want to know why a blaze at a high voltage electrical substation two miles away knocked out power to Europe’s busiest travel hub, resulting in more than 1,300 flight cancellations.

Heathrow Airport was back up and running by Saturday morning as thousands of passengers remained stuck awaiting new flights.

The impacts from Friday’s service disruptions will be felt for several days, as planes and crew members are relocated from other parts of the world.

“This is a huge embarrassment for Heathrow airport,” Labour Party pol Toby Harris said, reports the Associated Press. “It’s a huge embarrassment for the country that a fire in one electricity substation can have such a devastating effect.”

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has instructed National Energy System Operator, which controls the nation’s gas and electricity networks, to “urgently investigate” the fire “to understand any wider lessons to be learned on energy resilience for critical national infrastructure.”

The investigation is expected to last several weeks.

“The government is determined to do everything it can to prevent a repeat of what happened at Heathrow,” said Miliband.

What caused the fire remains unanswered. People living in west London reported hearing a large explosion and seeing a ball of flame rising from the substation.

It took seven hours for firefighters to extinguish the blaze.

Authorities said the fire does not appear to have suspicious origins.

Heathrow‘s emergency backup power supply did work as expected, but was unable to keep the entire airport functional.

Officials said an airport of Heathrow’s size needs more than one backup power source to continue operations.

Friday’s disruption was one of the most serious since 2010, when Iceland’s Eyjafjallajökull volcano erupted, closing European airspace for days.

With Post wires