Fire temporarily closes landfill

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This article was published 18/03/2025 (304 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A section of Brandon’s Eastview Landfill was on fire early Monday morning with flames that could be seen from about a kilometre away, forcing the city to close the landfill for several hours while fire crews fought the blaze.

More than half a dozen firefighters from Brandon Fire and Emergency Services responded after receiving a call at about 6:45 a.m., said deputy fire chief Kevin Garrioch.

“We got called at approximately quarter to seven, with the initial response of eight members including a brush truck, a tanker and a pumper,” Garrioch said, adding, “But we were able to cut that down to four firefighters fairly quickly and then just two trucks on scene for a while, and we were back in service by 11 o’clock.”

The cause of the fire is still under investigation.

It is the second significant fire at Brandon’s landfill in two months.

Fire crews responded on the morning of Jan. 12, and later that day, Brandon Police Service reported it was looking for a suspect in that fire as well as two others from Jan. 10 and 11.

According to a description released at the time, police said the suspect was a man who regularly attended the landfill in the middle of the night wearing a headlamp while riding a bike and pulling a trailer.

There haven’t been any arrests in connection with the incidents from January, BPS communications specialist Janet Reicherttold the Sun.

“No one has been apprehended, but it’s still an active investigation,” Reichert said.

For Monday morning’s fire, she said, “police were advised their presence was not required.”

BFES was alerted to Monday’s fire by a 911 call made by a Brandon resident who was driving by the landfill and saw the flames, said Merrilea Metcalf, corporate communications officer with the City of Brandon.

“The landfill site covers 61 hectares, and the fire was located on the north slope of cell 15,” said Metcalf.

Helping firefighters put out the blaze were the landfill’s heavy equipment operators, who used excavators to assist, Metcalf added.

“Some of the staff on the operations team have received fire suppression training, and for others it’s ongoing. The landfill was reopened around 11:15 a.m.,” she said.

Brandon firefighters work well with landfill staff, said Garrioch, adding fighting a landfill fire is unique because there are many variables with hot spots, which makes having the proper equipment a priority.

A tanker truck is able to transport large quantities of water, as does a pumper truck, which uses a high-pressure pump to send water through the hose and nozzle, allowing firefighters to regulate the water flow.

The brush truck is smaller than the others and carries less water, said Garrioch, but it can be used to their advantage.

“The brush truck may be a smaller vehicle with a smaller tank, but it can get to better areas. We use it mostly for grass firefighting. And because it’s not as big and bulky as our large trucks, it’s useful at the city’s dump for that reason,” Garrioch said.

Before leaving the landfill, Garrioch added, fire crews would have made sure they stabilized the scene.

“We ensure flames are all extinguished, that the smoke has disappeared, and then we do a walk-around,” Garrioch said.

“That can either be through the area or around its perimeter. And we know that city staff are monitoring the spots, so if something were to happen like a rekindle, we would be called back quickly if needed.”

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