Landfill fire in Calgary’s SE burns since Sunday, mayor takes notice
Posted Sep 10, 2026 8:20 am.
A stubborn fire at a private recycling site in Calgary’s southeast has caught the attention of residents as well as the city’s mayor, who is calling for action against “bad actors” in similar cases.
The fire at ECCO Recycling facility in the Shepard Industrial area saw more flare ups Wednesday, several days after it was first noticed last weekend.
Plumes of grey, white and at times black smoke have cast over southeast neighborhoods since Sunday.
“It looks concerning, but we’ve got a lot of space between us and the fire so what’s the worst that can happen, we’ll see it coming from a mile away,” says Cassie Fossli, Logistics Manager at Optimist Innovations.
The Calgary Fire Department says crews initially brought the fire under control Monday before monitoring responsibilities were returned to ECCO.
But after renewed reports of smoke and visible flames, firefighters returned Tuesday and maintained a fire watch overnight.
Several hotspots reignited Wednesday morning, spreading through debris piles and creating heavy smoke.
Stewart McColl who works near the recycling site says, “we saw flames all up along the garbage heap, clearly visible from here. What is that, a half mile away?”
Fire officials have brought in heavy equipment and dedicated suppression crews to help move debris. The results may be debatable, despite the Calgary Fire department saying the fire remains contained to the landfill site.
“(The fire has) been slowly ramping up. We’ve been away for the long weekend but it’s already worse than it was yesterday,” Fossli says.
There is no word on what caused the blaze but Calgary’s mayor is calling for punitive action over fires like the one at the ECCO Landfill.
“This really demonstrates the requirements for stiffer penalties for bad actors. I’m in close conversation with the relevant provincial ministries about what can be done,” Jeromy Farkas says.
Officials are asking Calgarians not to call 911 unless they see the fire spreading beyond the property or threatening nearby structures.
