A grass fire that began shortly after 16:00 BST on Saturday, 5th September 2026 near railway tracks between London Paddington and Heathrow Airport caused a failure of the electricity supply, resulting in the blockage of all train lines between these points and extending to Reading.
Train Cancellations and Passenger Stranding
Train services on Great Western Railway (GWR), the Elizabeth Line, and Heathrow Express operating between London Paddington station, Heathrow terminals, and Reading were cancelled or halted on the evening of 5th September. Passengers were stranded at Paddington, a major London rail hub, and 380 passengers on an Elizabeth Line train were evacuated by Transport for
London and the London Fire Brigade.
Firefighting Response and Evacuations
Six fire engines and about 40 crew members from the London Fire Brigade were deployed to tackle the blaze near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington. The grass fire caused significant disruption across these rail lines due to its proximity to the tracks and associated power supply failure.
Additional Transport and Airport Impacts
Earlier on Saturday, Heathrow’s southern runway was closed due to a different grass fire on the airport’s airfield, leading to at least two flight diversions. Delays were also reported on the Piccadilly Tube line serving Heathrow. A separate power cut at Manor Park early on Sunday further
affected train operations, forcing non-stop running between Ilford and Forest Gate.
Restoration of Services and Ongoing Disruption
The grass fire was fully extinguished by Sunday morning, 6th September 2026, allowing National Rail and GWR to report a return to a “good service” between Paddington and Heathrow. However, some delays and cancellations continued due to displaced trains, compounded by pre-planned engineering works on the Elizabeth Line and other routes impacting connections between London Paddington, Ealing Broadway, and Burnham on Sunday morning.
Context of High Fire Risk
The Met Office Fire Severity Index classified the wildfire risk around Heathrow and parts of London as “exceptional” on the day of the incident, reflecting ongoing
fire risk across south-east England and the Midlands despite recent cooling after a summer marked by record heat. This incident follows previous grass fires near Heathrow that have caused flight diversions and environmental damage in recent weeks.
Great Western Railway tweeted: “These images from today’s lineside fire, which caused significant disruption to services in and out of London Paddington, show what our engineers, and firefighters from @LondonFire, had to deal with. Disruption is likely to continue into Sunday so please check before travelling.”
