Fire Chief: ECCO landfill fire status improved but poses continued challenges
Fire Chief Steve Dongworth updated Calgarians today regarding the historic ECCO landfill fire that began September 6, 2026.
When this incident began on September 6th, firefighters immediately encountered challenging conditions, including limited site access, difficult ground conditions and fire burning deep within landfill materials.
With an estimated volume of one million cubic metres, the impacted are of the fire equals about 7 or 8 CFL football fields.
“As you’ll be able to see in the overhead drone footage that we’ve provided, this is literally a mountain of garbage with deep pockets of active fire,” said Chief Dongworth. “The steep, mountainous face of this fire makes access for crews and trucks particularly challenging.”
Crews will continue to work with contractors and partner agencies to fully extinguish the fire using specialized landfill fire suppression techniques.
The strategic goal is to cap and smother the remaining fire with dirt. This approach follows industry best practices for control of smoke and extinguishing deep-seated landfill fires and preventing re-ignition. Additional technologies, such as carbon dioxide injection, may be required.
“We are prioritizing actions that will reduce smoke impact on neighbouring communities. However, unlike a structure fire, landfill fires can burn for extended periods beneath the surface, making them difficult to locate and extinguish,” said Chief Dongworth.
“Although we should be able to control smoke from the fire in the next few days, this incident could last weeks or even months until onsite fire risk is fully mitigated.”
Even after fire smoke becomes better controled, Chief Dongworth advised there may be occasional instances of increased smoke and visible flame.
“While these flare-ups may appear concerning, they are an expected part of the suppression process. As these flare ups occur we will suppress the flames and cover up the area to control the smoke as soon as possible. To those residents in impacted communities, we appreciate your resilience and patience.”
The list of communities impacted by smoke is significant and include: East Shepard, Remington, Copperfield, New Brighton, McKenzie Towne, Quarry Park, Mahogany, McKenzie Lake, Douglasdale, Seton, Cranston, Chaparral, Lake Bonavista, Riverbend, Parkland, Legacy, Deer Run and Altadore.
“Again, our immediate efforts remain focused on actions that reduce smoke impact on communities,” said Chief Dongorth. “This includes identifying hot spots, applying water where required and using soil to cap and smother remaining areas of fire.”
Earlier this week, air monitoring at the province’s Mobile Air Monitoring Laboratory identified one fine particulate matter concentration exceeding the Alberta ambient air quality guideline. While no other exceptions were measured, air quality can change significantly over short distances due to wind patterns, terrain, and local conditions. Therefore, monitoring results may not reflect individual exposures at all locations.
Residents affected by smoke are encouraged to limit outdoor activity, keep windows and doors closed when smoke is present, and contact Health Link by dialing 811 if they have concerns about smoke-related health impacts. Residents can also check current conditions through Alberta’s Air Quality Health Index: https://www.alberta.ca/air-quality-health-index
The Calgary Fire Department will continue to provide updates on this incident. Thank you to Alberta Environment and Protected Areas, Calgary Police Services, Alberta Health Services, City of Calgary Waste & Recycling Services, contracted suppression specialists and neighbouring businesses for their continued support during this prolonged and complex incident.
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