Around 100 firefighters tackle grass fire near Heathrow airport

Around six hectares of land are alight and producing a large amount of smoke, the London Fire Brigade said

Around six hectares of land are alight and producing a large amount of smoke, the London Fire Brigade (Twitter)

Around 100 firefighters are tackling a grass fire near Heathrow airport, the London Fire Brigade have said.

Videos of the surrounding area show a big plume of grey smoke rising into the sky as planes fly overhead.

In a tweet, the London Fire Brigade said: “15 fire engines and around 100 firefighters are tackling a grass fire near Hatton Road in Feltham.”

Around six hectares of land are alight and producing a large amount of smoke, they added. They called for residents in the local area to keep their windows and doors closed.

In an update on social media, Heathrow noise, an account which publishes live updates on the airport’s runway operations, said: “Due to smoke from a fire off-airport we will be switching back to landing on the northern runway (27R) and taking off from the southern runway (27L). We apologise for the disruption.”

A Heathrow spokesperson said: “Due to an off-airport fire, we have alternated our runways this afternoon. The fire is not impacting the operation and flights are continuing as scheduled.”

The emergency services received more than 30 calls about the fire. Station Commander Paul Casey, who is at the scene, said: “The fire is producing a large amount of smoke. Residents in the local area, particularly around Bedfont Sports Club, should keep their windows and doors closed.”

The cause of the fire is not known.