Heathrow Terminal 3 Faces Temporary Evacuation Over Fire Alarm
Early on Thursday morning, the Heathrow Airport was affected due to a fire alarm within Terminal 3. The emergency crews rushed in and temporarily evacuated some areas in the airport. There were complaints of queues at the immigration and baggage collection by customers. The majority of them wrote about their frustrations on social networks.
Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 3 faced a temporary evacuation
Fire Crews Respond to Alarm, Passengers Removed from Terminal
The airport officials confirmed the alarm was under investigation by the crew. According to a spokesperson at Heathrow, some parts of terminal three were temporarily evacuated, as the fire service probed a fire alarm. Staff are working as fast as they can to fix this, and we are sorry for any inconvenience this may cause to journeys.”
One of the busiest terminals located at Heathrow is Terminal 3 which deals with thousands of passengers on a daily basis. It led to queues at immigration that stood, still, for hours, as a result of the evacuation. There was also the temporary suspension of the baggage claim services.
Traveller Complaints Mount During Delays
Passengers expressed growing frustration online. One wrote, “Can someone tell us why immigration lines at Heathrow are shut down? Been standing here for an hour with no movement in sight.”
Another traveller said, “Border shut down been waiting here forever. Why is there not a contingency plan for a situation like this? We can’t stay here forever.”
Christina Warren, a journalist, posted, “Landed at Heathrow an hour early but there was a fire alarm so the line for passport control is literally backed up literally the entire terminal because of a fire alarm going off.”
Incident Resolved, Terminal Reopens
The airport confirmed that operations returned to normal shortly after. A spokesperson said, “Following an earlier fire alarm evacuation in parts of Terminal 3, the incident has now been stood down. We apologise for any disruption caused to journeys.”
Heathrow Airport’s Expansion and Future Plans
This was disturbed by the announcement of the latest five-year upgrade plans by Heathrow covering the period between 2027 and 2031. The airport will expand lounges, shops and restaurants on the existing terminals. These expansions will result in an extra space of ten football pitches.
Heathrow strives to have enhanced services to passengers and efficiency. It strives to deliver 99 per cent of baggage to the right passenger. It is also aiming at 80 per cent of on-time flight departures.
Security will also see changes. The airport plans to reduce queue times with 95 per cent of passengers waiting less than five minutes. These efforts aim to enhance experience for the more than 200,000 daily travellers.
Proposed third runway at Heathrow Airport
New Infrastructure Projects on the Horizon
Heathrow will demolish Terminal 1 and extend Terminal 2 as part of the Central Terminal Area redevelopment. The project will also include construction of a new southern road tunnel for better airport access.
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Energy Failure Probe Follows Major Substation Fire
Earlier this month, Heathrow considered legal action against the National Grid. A March fire at the North Hyde substation halted flights and impacted 270,000 passengers.
Investigations revealed that outdated regulation, lack of safety mechanisms, and maintenance failures contributed to the outage. Moisture inside electrical components triggered a transformer’s failure.
A spokesperson for Heathrow said, “A combination of outdated regulation, inadequate safety mechanisms and National Grid’s failure to maintain infrastructure led to this catastrophic power outage.”
National Grid responded, stating it had “taken action”.
Energy Secretary Ed Miliband described the findings as “concerning”. He confirmed plans for further action to avoid future incidents.
Heathrow Commits to Sustainability and Community Engagement
Heathrow continues to prioritise environmental and social responsibility. The airport plans to insulate 6,500 homes to reduce noise. By 2030, it also aims to support one million people in nearby communities through skills programs.
As Europe’s busiest airport, Heathrow maintains its position as the continent’s most punctual major hub. Its latest disruptions underscore ongoing challenges in maintaining operations during peak travel periods.
