THE fire at the Dunbar Landfill Site has now been extinguished and an investigation as to the cause has now been launched.

 Firefighters were alerted to the blaze around 1.40pm on Monday, August 28, and three fire appliances attended the scene during the height of the fire.

A plume of smoke could be seen for miles and firefighters  warned that a change in wind direction could mean the smoke affects residents of Dunbar.

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Motorists on the A1 were urged to keep their windows closed, turn off air conditioning and close air vents when passing the scene of the fire.

Rick Stark of the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service is the station commander managing the incident.

“A fire break has been created to control the spread, however the smouldering could continue for a number of days yet.

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“We are working with partner agencies to minimise the disruption to the local community and to keep people updated.”

A spokesperson for the landfill operator Valencia said today Friday September 1: “Valencia Waste Management confirms that the surface fire at the Dunbar landfill site has been extinguished this afternoon.

Valencia’s team will remain onsite over the weekend to monitor the scene and ensure any smoldering is managed.

We will now start the investigation into the cause of the fire and work with the Fire Service and SEPA, Valencia will share results of the investigation with the local community.”