British Transport Police have arrested a man on suspicion of arson in connection with the trackside fire that has disrupted rail links to Heathrow Airport since the weekend, the force confirmed on Monday 7 September, as a separate incident near Reading added fresh delays to the same routes.
The force said officers arrested a man after the blaze broke out near Scrubs Lane in North Kensington on the afternoon of Saturday 5 September, and that he has since been released on bail pending further enquiries, according to BBC News. The fire damaged electrical distribution equipment feeding the railway between London Paddington and Heathrow, cutting power to the line and forcing evacuations.
London Fire Brigade said in an official incident update that six fire engines and around 40 firefighters were sent to the scene after being called at 16:11 BST on Saturday, and that around 380 passengers on a stranded Elizabeth line train were safely evacuated by the Brigade and Transport for London. Firefighters had the blaze under control by 20:36 that evening, the Brigade said.
The fire knocked out all Elizabeth line, Great Western Railway and Heathrow Express services between Paddington and Heathrow for several hours on Saturday. Services were reported back to normal on Sunday morning, but disruption returned on Monday as engineers continued repairing the damaged equipment, with Elizabeth line trains unable to run through to Heathrow Terminal 5 and GWR skipping Slough, Maidenhead and Twyford.