Fire breaks out again at Brandon landfill

A section of Brandon’s Eastview Landfill caught fire late Monday morning, sending plumes of smoke into the air that were visible from nearly a kilometre away.

It was the third time this year that fire broke out at the site.

Brandon Fire and Emergency Services received reports of the fire shortly before noon, Capt. Doug Wheatland told the Sun at the scene.

“We were told probably between 11:30 and 12 o’clock,” Wheatland said. “It took us about three minutes to get down here.”

The cause of the fire was unknown and is under investigation, Wheatland said.

He said firefighters faced challenges accessing water at the scene, as there were no hydrants nearby.

“What we’re doing is shuttling the water in from a hydrant, filling up our portable tanker, and then filling up the bladder,” he explained. “We’re drafting from the water here into the pumper so that we can use it for our operations.”

City sanitation staff also joined the firefighting effort, using heavy equipment to dig a trench and prevent the fire from spreading further south.

“At this time, I’m not quite sure how long it’s going to take to put the fire out,” Wheatland said around 2 p.m. “But the landfill crews are helping us slow it down.”

No injuries were reported, and firefighters remained on scene into the afternoon to fully extinguish the blaze and monitor for flare-ups.

Monday’s fire is the latest in a string of blazes that have hit the Eastview Landfill, raising ongoing concerns about fire risks in waste management areas.

In March, a fire broke out on the north slope of “cell 15,” temporarily closing the facility while crews fought flames visible from nearly a kilometre away. That incident required multiple firefighting units and the use of heavy equipment to smother smouldering garbage piles and prevent the blaze from spreading.

Just two months earlier, in January, another overnight fire forced the temporary closure of the landfill. Firefighters and landfill operators worked through the night to contain it, and the facility reopened the next day once hot spots were extinguished. While no injuries were reported in either incident, the recurring fires prompted city officials to review safety and monitoring procedures at the site.

The Eastview Landfill also saw a significant fire in November 2022, when a large pile of wood waste ignited in the northwest section of the site. The city later determined that the fire was accidental, possibly sparked by embers drifting from a nearby incinerator. Fire crews used loaders and backhoes to isolate the burning material, while landfill staff helped limit the spread.

City budget documents in recent years have noted ongoing investments in landfill infrastructure, including new waste cells and containment systems designed to improve site management and reduce fire risk.

Wheatland commended his team for their quick and co-ordinated response on Monday despite those challenges.

“My guys are doing a great job,” he said.

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