Large Fire at Southeast Private Landfill
On September 6th, 2026, at approximately 6:00 PM the Calgary Fire Department received calls for smoke and flames sighted near Barlow Trail and Shepard Road SE. On arrival at the site, crews found a large fire on the east side of the “ECCO Recycling” private landfill. Access to the landfill was extremely limited due to poor roads in the site, wet conditions and general lack of access.
The initial arriving fire crews proceeded to another business site east of the landfill and set up defensive operations to attempt holding the fire to the area of origin. This operation continues today and is being supported by landfill staff. The City of Calgary Waste and Recycling Services is also providing equipment and expertise to the site to bring the fire under control and eventually extinguish the fire.
Plumes of smoke from the site are rising and drifting to the southeast. The Calgary Fire Department Hazardous Materials team is sampling the air and modeling the path of the smoke being emitted. The smoke will likely cause some irritation if breathed in and people in the communities of Douglasdale, Quarry Park, East Shepard, McKenzie Town, New Brighton and Copperfield should keep windows closed and remain indoors when possible until the fire is out. Should you smell smoke in your area of business or residence, keep windows closed and stay indoors if possible.
The Calgary Fire Department will continue to contain the situation and work with Alberta Environment to ensure that the released smoke is continually monitored. This will likely be a long duration incident, and updates will be added when available.
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