Calgary landfill fire under control as air monitoring finds no new exceedances

The Calgary Fire Department says the ECCO fire site in southeast Calgary remains under control and stable, with suppression, containment and monitoring efforts continuing alongside partner agencies. Crews are using specialized landfill-fire suppression techniques, including soil capping and management of localized venting areas, the City of Calgary said on Oct. 5.¹

Specialized landfill-fire experts have been engaged to assess the incident and provide recommendations, and the city said current tactics are based on those recommendations.¹

Air quality

Air-quality monitoring conducted by provincial partners did not identify any new exceedances of Alberta Ambient Air Quality Objectives or Guidelines during the Sept. 28 to Oct. 5 reporting period, according to the city. Air Quality Health Index readings remained primarily in the low-risk category, while monitoring stations around the site continued to report low concentrations of fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5.¹

Alberta Environment continues to support ongoing air-quality monitoring and has reported no significant changes in regional air-quality conditions related to the incident, the city said.¹

Odours and visible flames

The Calgary Fire Department said it is aware that some residents have reported stronger odours in nearby communities in recent days. Residents may continue to notice periodic odours, smoke or occasional visible flames during suppression activities, and the city has previously advised that these conditions can occur as crews access and extinguish buried burning material within the landfill.¹

The Calgary Fire Department will continue to provide updates as operations progress, the city said.¹