Flights, including British Airways, have been delayed and cancelled at Heathrow this evening after a wildfire near one of its runways (Picture: Bloomberg/Getty Images) A wildfire near Heathrow Airport closed one of its runways during the height of the summer holiday travel. One runway was closed and flights were affected at the UK’s busiest airport today after a grass fire. The fire, believed to have been within the safety perimeter, grounded some flights and caused delays and cancellations. Firefighters were alerted shortly after 5.30pm, and found the flames burning through around one hectare of grassland. The closure of the Southern Runway S7L left the travel hub with only one runway, forcing some flights to divert to other airports. Heathrow Airport said: ‘Earlier today, our teams acted quickly to safely resolve a small grass fire adjacent to the Southern Runway. Thanks to their swift response, both runways are now fully operational. ‘A huge thank you to everyone involved. We apologise for any disruption and thank passengers for their patience and understanding. We wish everyone a safe onward journey.’ 🚨 I’m not know for breaking news… but there’s a fire near the runway at Heathrow which is delaying all flights… here’s my view from the terminal…#heathrow #breakingnews #jameswade #rovingreporter pic.twitter.com/ru9Wb5uJgx— James Wade (@JamesWade180) August 6, 2026 While the second runway has since reopened, the incident is having a knock-on effect on later flights, with several listed as cancelled. British Airways flights to Marseille, Zurich, Geneva, Basel, Hamburg, Frankfurt, Nice, Munich, Lisbon and Milan appear as cancelled on Flightradar24. London Fire Brigade said: ‘London Fire Brigade was called to reports of a fire on an area of grass near a runway at Heathrow Airport.  ‘Around one hectare of grassland was destroyed by the fire. Crews from the Brigade were supported by the airport’s fire service as they worked to bring the incident under control. ‘The Brigade was first called about the incident at 1737, and crews had the fire under control by 1807. Firefighters from Heathrow, Hayes and Feltham fire stations attended the scene.’ Flight disruption can force airlines to cancel services if aircraft and crew are in the wrong places, and moving them would exceed permitted flight times for pilots. Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.