A grass fire adjacent to the southern runway at London Heathrow Airport led to a temporary closure and disrupted several flights on September 5, 2026. Firefighters responded quickly to extinguish the blaze, and the runway has since reopened.
The incident caused chaos at Britain's busiest airport, forcing at least two flights to divert. A flight originating from San Francisco was rerouted to Manchester, while another from San Diego landed in Birmingham.
Passengers expressed their frustration on social media. One traveler noted the disruption occurred when the airport was already operating with a single runway. Another described the scene, mentioning plumes of smoke drifting across the tarmac near a Qantas passenger jet.
Heathrow Airport confirmed the fire was safely resolved by their teams. In a statement, the airport thanked emergency responders for their swift action and apologized to passengers for any inconvenience, assuring them that both runways are now fully operational. The cause of the fire, which occurred despite recent rainfall, was attributed to dry conditions described by one observer as a "tinderbox."