The cause of a fire which was declared a major incident is still not known as crews prepare for a fourth day on the site.
Firefighters from 10 stations worked to bring a blaze at Pilsworth South landfill site under control on Monday morning (April 26), having been called out after midnight.
Crews battled a fire which was around the size of a football pitch and declared it a major incident by 5.40am, as smoke billowed over Bury and Heywood.
The major incident was stood down by Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service (GMFRS) on Tuesday lunchtime, but the service has now confirmed it will remain at the scene heading into Thursday.
A GMFRS spokesperson said: "Three fire engines are maintaining an active presence at a landfill site on Pilsworth Road, Bury, after firefighting operations were scaled back further overnight.
"Crews are being supported by a helicopter arranged by site owners Viridor, which is dropping water onto the affected areas, and by heavy machinery operators turning over waste materials to enable firefighters to damp down any remaining hotspots."
Roads surrounding the site were closed on Monday, while residents nearby were urged to keep their windows and doors closed until Tuesday lunchtime.
Viridor, which runs the landfill site, has apologised to residents for the disruption.
The company says it is still unsure what the cause of the fire was, but that typical landfill fires can be started by objects such as batteries or gas canisters.
A Viridor spokesperson added: "The company is very grateful to the fire service for its ongoing support.
"Viridor wishes to apologise to local residents for any inconvenience caused and thanks them for their patience.
"The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, however, known causes of waste site fires include hot barbecue coals, gas canisters, and batteries, including lithium ion batteries (commonly found in a variety of products such as e-cigarettes, mobile phones, toys, cameras and laptop computers).
"Viridor advises residents to leave the ashes of barbecue coals to cool for at least 48 hours or thoroughly wet the ashes before placing out for collection. Items with lithium ion batteries should not be added to general waste but disposed of at recycling centres."
Viridor says its staff are using landfill equipment to lift the affected waste, while its helicopter is able to drop two tonnes of water onto the ground each time it passes the site, to help fire crews damp down remaining hotspots.
The firm will then recirculate the water to further soak any affected areas, additionally smothering these with soil and sand.
