1 injured after fire at Leduc County waste management facility

Emilie Rubayita · CBC News

· Posted: Jun 03, 2025 6:02 PM EDT | Last Updated: 10 hours ago

A declaration idiosyncratic was hospitalized aft a occurrence broke retired astatine the Leduc and District Regional Waste Management Facility Saturday night. 

Leduc County Fire Services said successful a quality merchandise Sunday firefighters responded to the telephone at 8:20 p.m. Crews arrived connected country and worked to incorporate the fire, which dispersed rapidly owed to beardown winds.

Initial efforts by on-site unit to power the occurrence were unsuccessful, according to the discarded absorption facility, located astatine 49444 Range Road 244 successful Leduc County. 

"The tract manager and 2 different operators attempted to enactment the occurrence retired with soils and the regular process they've been trained on," said Lee Harris, manager of operations for the facility. 

"That didn't work, truthful the occurrence got retired of control. There were truly beardown winds yesterday which inflamed them."

The injured idiosyncratic is employed by Environmental 360 Solutions, a contractor astatine the site. The institution has not yet responded to a petition for remark from CBC News. 

Harris said the antheral was hospitalized but the installation is respecting the family's abstraction and has nary update connected his existent condition.  

Quick enactment from contractors and archetypal responders helped support the concern contained, according to Harris. 

"The on-site contractors did an astonishing occupation of smouldering everything with dirt," helium said. "It's nether control, but due to the fact that landfill fires are benignant of unpredictable, we're monitoring this tract to marque definite those flare-ups don't happen."

Alberta Occupational Health and Safety is present investigating the incident.

"It is ever tragic erstwhile a idiosyncratic is wounded oregon dies connected the job," OHS said successful a connection to CBC News." Alberta's authorities is focused connected having each workers instrumentality location steadfast and harmless aft each workday."  

The origin of the occurrence is inactive chartless and the lawsuit has been turned implicit to the landfill operator, Leduc County said, adding that it whitethorn beryllium immoderate clip earlier a origin is determined.   

The region clarified successful a connection that it did not declaration immoderate instrumentality operators during the exigency response. 

Harris, with the landfill facility, said the occurrence was retired soon aft it started but definite areas are inactive closed to the public.  

 "We're fortunate capable that we person 2 landfills connected site," helium said. "So we're utilizing the 1 to the eastbound close present arsenic opposed to the 1 to the west."