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In a September 24 update, the Calgary Fire Department said its response to the landfill fire at the ECCO Recycling facility in southeast Calgary had reached a more stable phase, allowing officials to move from daily to weekly public updates.
Crews are still working to fully extinguish the blaze, which remains confined to the landfill site. Work in recent days has focused on capping the area by clearing debris, leveling affected ground and layering dirt and clay over hot spots to smother remaining sources of heat. Fire officials say this work has led to a reduction in visible smoke in parts of the site.
A drone flight over the site produced fresh aerial images that officials say will help guide continued capping efforts, and an outside engineering consultant visited to offer technical input on managing the incident and planning recovery work.
Because the response is expected to continue over a longer timeframe, command of the incident is moving to a remote model, though the fire department says it will keep monitoring conditions and coordinating firefighting work at the site.
Alberta Health Services has told the fire department that its latest air quality readings at monitoring stations near the site have not turned up any new exceedances. The health agency cautions that air quality can shift sharply within short distances because of wind, terrain and other local factors, and that areas directly downwind of the fire face the greatest risk of impact.
The fire department says nearby residents might still notice smoke, smells or brief flare-ups, which can happen when crews dig up and douse buried pockets of burning material. Such flare-ups, officials say, do not necessarily indicate that the fire is spreading beyond the landfill boundary.
Capping, monitoring and cleanup work will keep going until officials determine the fire no longer poses a risk. The department says it will issue additional updates outside its new weekly schedule if major developments arise, and it is directing residents to Calgary.ca/landfillfire for ongoing information.