Great Western Railway trackside fire caused major disruption to trains to and from Heathrow Airport shortly after 16:00 BST on Saturday. National Rail said the incident led to "major disruption" across rail links serving Heathrow's terminals and London Paddington.
The fire was next to the track near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington, and London Fire Brigade said six fire engines and around 40 crew members were tackling the blaze.
Scrubs Lane and Heathrow links
All lines were blocked between London Paddington station and Heathrow's terminals, as well as Reading, after a failure of the electricity supply caused by the fire next to the track. That left passengers on Paddington and Heathrow routes facing cancellations and delays on a busy airport link.
Great Western Railway cancelled its services to Reading on Saturday night. No Elizabeth line or Heathrow Express services were running between Paddington and Heathrow on Saturday night.
Heathrow's southern runway was closed earlier on Saturday while crews tackled a grass fire on the airfield. At least two flights were diverted because of the fire on the airfield, and The Met Office's Fire Severity Index showed an exceptional fire severity level in some parts of London including Heathrow.
Sunday morning services
By Sunday morning, the fire had been extinguished and normal services had resumed. Network Rail Western said some services on Sunday morning could still face delays and cancellations because trains were displaced by the disruption.
Thomas Carey was found with multiple head injuries at a property in south London, while Rachid Bouchibane and Alexander Johnson were also named in the story. The rail disruption had already taken hold before Sunday morning, but the warning from Network Rail Western meant some passengers still needed to expect knock-on problems even after the main blockage cleared.
The unresolved point is what caused the trackside grass fire near Scrubs Lane. Until that is clear, the practical concern for passengers is simple: the line has reopened, but some services can still run late or be cancelled while the network settles back into place.
