Residents around Ladybank are still being urged to keep windows and doors closed a week after a major fire at Ladybank Recycling Centre which remains the subject of investigation.

The appeal comes as police finally re-opened a stretch of the A92 between Melville Lodges and Ladybank.

It had been closed while emergency services remained at the scene of the £1million blaze which started on Tuesday, May 12.

There were no reported injuries, and the fire is not being treated as suspicious, but it is the subject of an investigation by environmental watchdog the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA).

The fire sparked a major response from the emergency services (Pic: John Devlin)

placeholder image — The fire sparked a major response from the emergency services (Pic: John Devlin)

Concerns have also been raised over the impact on air quality in the area, while Willie Rennie MSP for North East Fife has called for a summit to learn any lessons.

The huge clear-up operation continues around the site of the fire, and the access road into it remains closed. Police have also put in place a temporary speed restriction of 30mph between Ladybank and the Melville Lodges roundabout.

Firefighters have been at the scene for seven days and are now dampening down the blaze, which caused extensive damage. At its peak, the Scottish Fire & Rescue Service (SFRS) dispatched 12 twelve appliances and specialist resources to the scene.

Ken Gourlay, chief executive of Fife Council described the damage as “extensive.”

He added: “Unfortunately with the conditions on the site, the fire took hold and drafted across waste piles. The recycling equipment has gone, £1m of equipment has gone. A lot of it has buckled under the heat.”

The local authority confirmed that its household waste recycling centre – across the road from the site – has not been damaged by the fire, but it remains closed because road access has been restricted by smoke and emergency service activity, and it is also currently without power. Cupar Recycling Centre is to be fully opened seven days a week until Ladybank can re-open.

Added Mr Gourlay: “There is still a fair bit of smoke coming off. SEPA have been on site and are monitoring that at the moment. The wind is changing and affecting different communities at different times.”

Acknowledging speculation on the cause of the fire, the council chief said nothing had been determined.

“There has been quite a fair bit of speculation about batteries but we have not had that confirmed,” he said. “There is going to be a review undertaken on the cause and recovery.”

A call for summit has also come from the local MSP.

Mr Rennie said the fire had had “a major impact on people in the area” and he said they were “still exceptionally concerned” adding: “This has been a distressing time.”

He continued: “The cause of the fire has not yet been confirmed and investigations will take place once the situation has been resolved. However we shouldn’t waste time to consider what steps need to be taken to prevent this from happening again.

“I am calling for a summit in Ladybank with the Scottish Government, Fife Council, Cireco and other relevant stakeholders to learn lessons on sharing information, health risks, management of waste facilities and the safe disposal of batteries.

"We need to know what assessments were made of the risks at the site.”

Cireco, which operates the site on behalf of Fife Council, has also spoken following the fire.

Robin Baird, chief executive officer, said: “We operate well within the operational capacity for the site. We take the safety of staff across all our sites very seriously and follow all relevant legislation. Any concerns raised by staff are looked into and acted upon, as required.”

SEPA has also confirmed it will investigate the cause of the fire to make sure “potential impacts on the environment are minimised.”