Photo of Calgary Fire and Rescue Fire Engine
On September 6th, a landfill fire was reported in the cities southeast. Fire crews responded, and were immediately greeted with harsh conditions, limited access, and flames burning deep within buried waste.
The blaze has gone between out of control, stubborn and almost out, but has expanded to an area comparable to 7 or 8 CFL football fields. The impacted area also features steep slopes that are posing problems for fire crews.
Crews are using specialized tactics to battle the blaze in hard-to-reach areas, primarily capping and smothering with dirt. Fire officials are warning that landfill fires that burn underground can last weeks or months, even when the smoke appears controlled.
So far, enough dirt to cover two CFL football fields has already been used.
Residents can expect flare-ups, and bursts of smoke as crews expose other hidden pockets. There is an extensive list of southern Calgary communities currently being impacted by the smoke, which include East Shepard, Copperfield, McKenzie Towne, Mahogany, Douglasdale, Seton, Cranston, Chaparral, Lake Bonavista, Riverbend, Parkland, Legacy, Deer Run and Altadore.
There are air quality concerns as well, but provincial air monitoring so far has detected only one elevated PM2.5 reading. Health officials are urging residents to stay indoors during smoky periods, limit physical activity and keep windows closed.
The City of Calgary has also announced charges against ECCO Recycling and Energy Corp, who operate the landfill in question. The charges allege non-compliance under both provincial and city bylaws, and two of the charges allege the owner of the landfill failed to stop accepting waste, as well as the failure to remove dry waste materials.
According to ECCO, they haven’t accepted new material since 2024.
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