The fire at Lower Melville Woods waste facility is under control and should not have an impact on the upcoming Fife Show at Cupar this weekend.

On Saturday, 23 May, the annual Fife Show will be taking place at Kinloss, just outside Cupar as advertised. The event has been further risk assessed, in consideration of the nearby fire, and has been assessed as safe to go ahead.

The show generally attracts thousands of visitors and has been running since 1821. Although a traditional agricultural show featuring livestock and machinery there are now a variety of events, displays and stands to suit all the family.

Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and waste facility staff have been working around the clock since fire broke out at the site last Tuesday, 14 May. While the situation is now well under control, we may see some more flare ups as operators spread the affected materials to check for pockets of fire. This may result in more smoke at times throughout today. This remains a complex incident due to the nature of the materials involved. A full assessment and investigation will take place when it is safe to do so. However, at this stage, we cannot speculate on the cause of the fire.

Visitors to the show should be aware that all smoke has the potential to be harmful and follow the public health advice below.

The public health advice remains unchanged, and people are still advised to take sensible precautions to reduce the risk of developing short-term effects associated with smoke exposure. Residents in the immediate vicinity of the fire should continue to keep windows and doors closed if they can see or smell smoke.

It is particularly important that people with existing respiratory or cardiovascular conditions, such as asthma, COPD or angina, follow this advice and ensure they have access to their inhalers or prescribed medication at all times. The risk to public health continues to be assessed as low, and there remains no indication of any long-term health effects for the wider public. However, anyone experiencing symptoms that cause concern or require medical advice should contact their GP practice or call NHS 24 on 111.

SEPA’s Airborne Hazard Emergency Response (AHER) Service, chaired by SEPA, has been operational throughout the incident. This group continues to provide guidance to multi-agency partners on the hazards presented by this incident and inform their public health messaging