Fire breaks out at GFL landfill west of Edmonton

A fire is burning at a landfill just west of Edmonton city limits, sending out a plume of black smoke.

Parkland County said its firefighters responded Sunday evening to the GFL Waste Management landfill off 231 Street, east of Acheson.

The fire began in the southwest section of the dump, which the county said contains a mix of construction and demolition waste.

Parkland County fire crews remained on-site until approximately midnight.

The neighbourhood of Secord is kitty-corner across Highway 16 and 231 Street from the landfill. Residents there woke to the smell of smoke on Monday.

“It doesn’t smell like forest fire, it smells like burning debris or a house,” said Chris Gill, who said the smell was fairly strong when he stepped outside in the morning.

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Another neighbourhood resident, Chris Brown, said the smell was pungent enough to be detected indoors.

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“I didn’t even really realize there was a fire until I could smell it inside my apartment,” Brown said.

“I just started checking electrical outlets, opening doors, trying to find out where this was coming from. Then I realized it was outside.”

Brown worried about the fire jumping the highway.

“I came for breakfast and saw all the smoke and my main concern was spread. If it crosses the highway, are we in danger in the apartments?”

Parkland County said no structures on-site or critical infrastructure in the area are threatened by the fire. However, it noted shifting winds may carry smoke further into Edmonton and the surrounding communities later on Monday.

On Monday, the county said GFL took over managing the fire and is working to contain the flames using soil and heavy equipment.

“As of this morning, the fire is an estimated 3.8 hectares in size and continues to burn in areas not yet covered by soil,” the county said.

Garbage trucks arriving at the entrance to the landfill were being turned away.

Parkland County said it will continue to work with GFL on a time-sensitive fire management strategy to minimize the environmental impact, which may include deploying private industrial firefighting contractors.

GFL declined to speak to Global News about the fire.