More than 1,300 flights to and from the UK’s busiest airport will be impacted today due to its closure following a blaze at the nearby North Hyde electrical substation.

Thousands of homes were left without power with more than 100 people evacuated after a transformer at the substation caught fire as a huge explosion was heard.

Western officials have accused Russia and its proxies of staging dozens of attacks and other incidents across Europe since the invasion of Ukraine three years ago.

They allege that the disruption campaign is an extension of President Putin’s war, intended to sow division in European societies and undermine support for Ukraine – although the Kremlin has denied carrying out sabotage efforts against the West.

Earlier this week, Putin had agreed to a limited ceasefire that stops Russia targeting Ukraine’s energy infrastructure after a phone call with US President Donald Trump.

Now, experts are analysing whether Russia could be linked to the UK substation fire, which is affecting 679 flights scheduled to land and 678 departures from Heathrow.

Scotland Yard’s Counter Terrorism Command is leading the investigation given the need to quickly establish whether sabotage was involved and the security questions relating to how one fire took down a major piece of infrastructure. It comes as:

• An MP blamed Heathrow getting rid of a diesel back-up for a Net Zero alternative;
• Evacuated residents living near the airport told of the moment ‘houses shook’;
• Some flights were forced to return to the US with 200,000 passengers stranded;
• The level of global travel chaos sparked by the fire was compared to 9/11; and
• Hotel prices surged by £946 as travellers hit out at ‘absolutely absurd’ costs.

This map shows disruption incidents Western officials have blamed on Russia and its proxies

A transformer within the North Hyde electrical substation in West London caught fire last night

Parked planes and an empty runway at London Heathrow Terminal 5 today after it was closed

Firefighters wearing masks at the scene of the major blaze in West London this morning

Firefighters continue to exinguish the blaze at North Hyde electricity substation this morning

Passengers board a bus near Heathrow Airport this morning after trains were also cancelled

It comes after Russian spies sent a package of electric sex toys to western Europe before concealing incendiary devices ignited in UK and German DHL depots last July in what was alleged to have been a test run for a potential US-bound flight attack.

Reacting to the Heathrow fire today, security expert Will Geddes, director and founder of the International Corporate Protection Group, told MailOnline: ‘Heathrow has been looking at expanding – this isn’t a great advert for their ability to do so safely.

‘If I was a foreign hostile party and I wanted to disrupt one of the busiest airports in the world, cause international embarrassment, create many, many question marks, I would target something like a substation.

‘The Russians are looking at everything. They’re looking at our fibre optics under the sea, they’re looking at our nuclear power stations, we know hostile reconnaissance is going on right now.

‘So for this to be taken down so easily and cause such an impact, one has got to say if I was Russia, that’s where I would focus my attentions as well.’

He said the incident had the potential to be a similar act of sabotage to the fires on railway tracks in France ahead of the 2024 Paris Olympics last July.

Mr Geddes continued: ‘If anybody did this it would either be down to some serious reconnaissance in advance to determine that this was a massive vulnerability.

Passengers are facing travel chaos today after Heathrow Airport had to close due to a fire

Parked planes and an empty runway at London Heathrow Terminal 5 today after it was closed

Departure boards and other screens are dark in parts of London Heathrow Airport this morning

A screen at Hatton Cross Underground station today tells passengers that Heathrow is closed

An almost empty Arrivals Hall at Heathrow Terminal 4 in London this morning after its closure

Police officers outside Heathrow Airport today after the hub was shut due to the nearby fire

Heathrow staff within the airport in West London today after it was shut due to the nearby fire

‘They would have had to determine what leaning and what depth of responsibility and sort of impact would this substation have not only obviously on the local homes, but also on Heathrow Airport itself.

‘Or you’ve got the easier, simpler answer that these guys have fallen asleep and they have not battle readied this substation for any type of eventuality of potential power outs, fires or anything like that.

‘Where is the fire suppression system, why has that not worked? Is that because it’s faulty or because it has been tampered with?’

He said Russia and other hostile states would be glad to see the chaos it has caused ‘and it’s not outside the scope of a foreign hostile state to attack a substation or a power or utility supply to a key site.’

Bob Seely, a Russia expert and former Conservative MP, told MailOnline that the chaos at Heathrow was at least a ‘warning’ about the threat of sabotage.

He said: ‘This has exposed a massive security vulnerability. If a substation fire can shut down one of the world’s largest airports and Britain’s busiest airport, it shows a dangerous lack of resilience.

‘We should be building resilience into our critical national infrastructure, especially given the rise in Russian sabotage operations in Europe as well as the threat of home-grown terrorism or extremist protests designed to bring modern life to a halt.’

Dr Seely, whose new book ‘New Total War’ is out this summer, added: ‘Until we see different, this was very likely to have been an accident, but it is also a warning to us.

Firefighters continue to exinguish the blaze at North Hyde electricity substation this morning

Heathrow staff within the airport in West London today after it was shut due to the nearby fire