Air quality a concern as fire continues to burn at southeast Calgary landfill

Calgary fire crews are still working around the clock to extinguish a fire smouldering at a southeast landfill, as air quality becomes a bigger concern for nearby residents.

“It’s been awful,” said Fredrick Helfmann, who lives in Riverbend. “Like it's just the worst awful toxic smell I've ever smelled.”

The fire sparked Sept. 6 at ECCO Recycling and Energy Corp.’s former site. Firefighters were able to suppress it the following day, but on Sept. 9, fires reignited and have been burning since.

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On Sunday, Mayor Jeromy Farkas and Coun. Rob Ward sent a joint letter to the province, calling on the immediate release of detailed air quality testing results.

“Over the weekend, a lot of residents that live near the site of the ECCO Recycling fire have just expressed concerns about the air quality,” Ward said.

“A lot of people are not feeling well or have throat or lung irritation, and so a lot of people have asked for just information about the air quality testing and what the results are showing.”

In a social media post Friday, Environment and Protected Areas Minister Grant Hunter said the province has deployed a mobile air-monitoring laboratory, and sent air samples for expedited analysis.

As of Sept. 10, Hunter said results found no hourly-average readings above air quality objectives.

On Friday, the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) warned residents in communities downwind of the landfill, like Douglasdale, Quarry Park, McKenzie Towne and New Brighton, that air quality was worsening, and they should take precautions.

“This is similar to when we have our forest fires. You know, smoke is not a great thing to inhale in any level,” said Asst. Deputy Chief James Docherty.

“If you do have comorbidities: asthma, you're pregnant, any type of health issue, just make sure that you try and stay away from the smoke and just be cognizant of your exertion.”

Docherty says windier weather on Sunday helped to blow away some of the smoke.

Helfmann agreed that air quality was a bit better on Sunday, after what he says was the worst day on Saturday.

“I think everyone's feeling it. I never get headaches and like, last few days, it's been almost non-stop when I'm around my house,” he said Sunday. “The kids have sore throats, the kids are coughing, my wife's got a sore throat and is coughing. We both have stomach aches.”

“My dog, he's like a geriatric pug, and he comes in now smelling like burnt garbage.”

In a statement on Friday, ECCO said the former landfill contains only dry construction materials like lumber and drywall, and said the site hasn't accepted any new material since 2024.

It also thanked residents in neighbouring communities for their patience.

“We recognize the disruption that smoke can cause and appreciate the concerns being expressed by people who live nearby,” ECCO's statement read.

Docherty expects crews to be on site for days to come, to ensure the fire is fully out and does not restart again.

"I appreciate [for] the community, it's been a rough week," said Coun. Ward. "And I really do, I feel bad for everybody who lives near the facility, but just keep your faith and trust in our fire team to put it out as quickly as they can."

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This article, written by Jennifer Keiller, was originally published for CBC News.