A fire that broke out late Friday night at a landfill in southeastern Calgary has finally been extinguished, the Calgary Fire Department said.
As of Saturday afternoon, battalion chief Paul Frederick said the fire had been put out, but crews remained on the scene to deal with the hotspots and ensure the site was completely under control.
He said there were 30 firefighters on site at ECCO Recycling and Energy Corp, near 24th Street and Quarry Park Boulevard SE, all day.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality declaration for Calgary due to smoke from a fire in the southeast. This statement ended on Saturday afternoon. (Helen Pike / CBC)
“The crews who have worked there all day will be happy to rest and dine in them tonight,” Frederick said.
Environment Canada has issued a special air quality declaration for the city of Calgary, especially in the southeast due to smoke from the fire, causing “increased levels of air pollutants in the area.” This statement was revoked at 14:30 on Saturday.
The fire was first reported Friday night around 8:10 p.m., when the Calgary Fire Department (CFD) responded to numerous calls for a stream of smoke coming out of the Quarry Park area.
Smoke could be seen from various points in the city; the flames could be seen from the nearby roads. When the crews arrived, they saw large amounts of smoke coming from a “large landfill,” a CFD statement said.
Firefighters went to the top of the depot, where depot employees used heavy equipment to try to put out the blaze, the statement said.
The staff used a large bulldozer to put out the fire, but it was mechanically damaged and was “quickly overcome” by the fire, the statement said.
The operator managed to escape unscathed, he added. But after the bulldozer was engulfed in flames, the fire spread to building materials in the area, Frederick told CBC News.
The landfill contains mainly construction waste and dry filler. Frederick believes the fire has grown to the size of four football fields.
The crews remained on site for most of Saturday to complete the fire at the southeastern recycling plant, Frederick said. (Helen Pike / CBC)
Getting water to put out the flames was a particular challenge for firefighters, as the nearest hydrant was about a kilometer from the scene, the press release said.
The crews resorted to the use of remote water supply and hose streams. Members of the Calgary Police Department, CP Rail and Alberta Environment came to the scene to help with resources.
The cause of the fire is still unknown.
Add Comment