Heathrow Fire Exposes Years of Negligence in Critical Energy Infrastructure

The recent fire that paralyzed Heathrow Airport, Europe's busiest travel hub, was not a sudden accident but the predictable result of years of neglect and failed oversight. According to a report from the National Energy System Operator, an "elevated moisture reading" indicating risk to electrical busings at the substation had been detected nearly seven years ago — yet no preventive measures were taken.On March 20, this failure culminated in a catastrophic transformer breakdown caused by moisture-induced short circuiting that ignited oil within the substation. The resulting blaze forced an 18-hour shutdown of Heathrow’s power supply, grounding over 1,300 flights and...