Batteries may have caused major blaze at Dunbar landfill site

Firefighters from throughout East Lothian and beyond were called to the fire at the Viridor landfill site east of Dunbar early on January 22.

No-one was injured in the blaze, with firefighters still on site the following day to dampen down debris.

The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) and site operators Viridor have now issued a warning highlighting the risks associated with lithium ion (li-ion) batteries not being disposed of properly.

At a fire prevention briefing at Viridor’s Dunbar site, Barry Falgate, the company’s Scottish landfill manager, said: “With the increasing use of lithium ion batteries in everyday household items, fire risks are growing day-by-day and we’re urging everyone to ensure they put the right stuff in the right bin and they dispose of batteries safely. Due to the nature of fighting waste site fires, where waste is shifted to gain access to the fire, it is difficult to definitively isolate the cause. Our experience of observing, and extinguishing, fires developing on waste sites leads us to believe this may have been a lithium ion battery. If this had been disposed of correctly, the fire would not have occurred and would have saved the valuable time and resources of the Fire and Rescue Service. We would like to thank the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service for their fast response and helping us get the site up and running again so quickly.”

Li-ion batteries can be found in everything from children’s toys and alarms to electric toothbrushes and e-cigarettes. When these types of batteries are damaged, they can project a shaft of a flame for several minutes and can ignite surrounding waste material.

Dean Mack, SFRS group manager, added: “We would always advise that, when disposing of potentially volatile items such as electronics and batteries, the public follow the manufacturer’s instructions carefully.”

Many supermarkets provide collection facilities for used batteries to be recycled.