Car blaze erupts outside Heathrow Terminal 5, London, travel unaffected

A car burst into flames outside Heathrow Airport’s Terminal 5 in London on January 21 morning, sparking chaos on the forecourt but causing no injuries, authorities confirmed.

Images and videos from the scene show thick black smoke rising above the terminal, with the vehicle completely engulfed in flames and reduced to a charred metal frame. A queue of cars was briefly held up behind the burning vehicle, The Sun reports.

A social media user captured footage of the blaze while arriving at the airport by train. London Fire Brigade (LFB) crews confirmed that the car, which was diesel-powered, had been safely extinguished by Heathrow Airport staff before firefighters arrived.

An LFB spokesperson said: “We were called at 07:56 today to a report of a car alight near Terminal 5 at Heathrow Airport. One fire engine attended the scene, but the fire had already been safely extinguished by the airport’s fire service upon their arrival. There were no reports of any injuries.”

A Heathrow Airport spokesperson added: “Earlier this morning our teams responded to a vehicle fire on the Terminal 5 Departures forecourt. The fire was extinguished quickly and there were no injuries. The airport is now operating as usual.”

The incident is the second car fire reported at the busy airport in recent months. Footage from October last year shows a diesel car ablaze in the Terminal 3 multi-storey car park, prompting evacuation and temporary closure.

Despite the dramatic visuals, Heathrow Airport confirmed that the blaze did not affect flight operations, and the airport continues to operate normally.

By Vafa Guliyeva