Anxious homeowners have raised health concerns after reporting an underground fire that started in the summer was still producing smoke. The fire in Coatbridge, Lanarkshire, was first spotted in July but has worsened, leaving residents’ gardens covered in soot and raising fears of respiratory illnesses. The site in the Shawhead area is understood to be a colliery spoil, containing waste materials such as coal and iron ore, buried beneath the ground during steelworks operations in the 1800s. Specialist crews are excavating the burning material in an effort to put the fire out. Recent wet and stormy weather has caused more smoke and soot, as the hot material is exposed during excavation. North Lanarkshire Council assured locals that air-quality monitoring continues to show levels are within safe limits. They blamed larger amounts of smoke and steam on weather, and said that hot material exposed during excavation can carry soot towards nearby homes. Fulton MacGregor, MSP for Coatbridge and Chryston, has organized an online meeting to discuss the issue next week and invited the council and local health board to participate. He said: ‘Over recent days, I’ve received inquiries from constituents about increased soot and dark smoke in Burleigh Street and I understand the concern this has caused. ‘I have been raising these issues with North Lanarkshire Council, who are responsible for managing the incident and whilst I have been satisfied with their response so far, it is clear that people are looking for clearer timescales and reassurance about any potential health impacts.’ However some homeowners are not convinced. Stuart Fraser said: ‘My parents stay there, one day you pay the window cleaner and the next they are covered in black soot even the footpaths and decking area then it gets trailed into homes, it’s unfair on the residents.’ Louise Cowper added: ‘This is literally at my back garden. It’s been horrific. Haven’t been able to let my weans out to play in months, everything is ruined.’ One woman said: ‘My daughter’s four and she suffers really bad eczema, so I worry that the soot is going to affect her skin.’ Another said: ‘We have people here with respiratory illnesses, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis who are trapped within their house breathing this in, and that potentially could kill these guys in the long term.’ Local Jamie Digan told STV News: ‘I’ve got two sons who both suffer from asthma, my eldest son is on extra medication because we can’t open the windows. We’ve had to buy dehumidifiers; his breathing has suffered a lot. ‘The council has told us absolutely nothing. I just know it’s been going on since July.’ North Lanarkshire Council are issuing regular updates on their website. Their most recent post said: ‘Excavation works this week has been focused on the historic railway structure, which remains a challenging area due to very high temperatures and the presence of old ventilation shafts and pipes. Despite this, progress continues, and we remain confident in the approach being taken.’ Area Commander Stephen Nesbit said: ‘There is no identified public health risk at this time, and the safety of residents remains our top priority.’
