Firefighters hold blaze at ECCO Recycling; air risk now localised
Fire crews continued to battle a large fire at the ECCO Recycling landfill in southeast Calgary after flames were reported late Sunday afternoon near Barlow Trail and Shepard Road S.E. By Monday night the Calgary Fire Department said the blaze was under control and that smoke was no longer expected to spread beyond the immediate vicinity of the site.
Crews initially discovered the large fire on the east side of the landfill at about 6 p.m. Sunday. The Calgary Fire Department (CFD) worked alongside landfill staff and the city’s waste and recycling services unit to extinguish the fire and prevent it from spreading.
CFD Battalion Chief Keith Stahl said conditions complicated the initial response. "We struggled to get to the landfill Sunday due to really, really wet conditions and almost impassable road conditions within the area," he told CBC News. Those conditions forced crews to operate from adjacent property and adopt defensive tactics aimed at holding the fire to its area of origin.
"That forced our crews to head over onto the east side into another property that was adjacent to the landfill and set up defensive operations to try and hold the fire to its area of origin."
Earlier Monday, the department had warned residents that large amounts of smoke could reach nearby neighbourhoods. CFD recommended that people in Copperfield, Douglasdale, East Shepard, McKenzie Towne, New Brighton and Quarry Park stay indoors and keep windows closed. By Monday evening the department reported smoke had largely died down and that steam was visible at the site.
Monitoring and next steps
CFD crews continued to sample the air and track the situation at the landfill. Staff on site turned from active firefighting to containment and monitoring as the fire moved from open flames to smouldering material. The city’s waste and recycling services unit remained involved in the response.
- Initial report of fire: about 6 p.m. Sunday
- Location: East side of ECCO Recycling landfill, near Barlow Trail and Shepard Road S.E.
- Response partners: Calgary Fire Department, ECCO Recycling staff, city waste and recycling services
- Public advisory: earlier indoor shelter-in-place recommendations for six southeast communities
The incident highlights the logistical challenges of responding to large fires on landfill sites, particularly when access is limited by ground conditions. Wet or soft terrain can force crews to establish defensive perimeters rather than aggressive interior attack, prolonging the time required to fully extinguish smouldering material.
| Item | Status |
|---|---|
| Initial detection | About 6 p.m. Sunday |
| Operational difficulty | Wet, almost impassable roads |
| Containment | Under control Monday night |
| Smoke impact | Largely died down; now localised to immediate vicinity |
For residents in the affected neighbourhoods, the incident is a reminder of the intersection between industrial operations and urban growth along Calgary’s southeast corridor. While the CFD’s update indicated the risk to the broader public had diminished, crews remained on site to ensure smouldering material did not re-ignite and to continue air-quality sampling.
Officials did not offer a timeline for when the site would be declared fully extinguished or when landfill operations might return to normal. The city and CFD will continue to provide updates as air sampling and containment work proceeds.
This report will be updated when further information is released by the Calgary Fire Department or city officials.
