State Fire Marshal's Office classifies the landfill fire cause as undetermined
The City released the State Fire Marshal's Office report on the investigation it conducted at Mayor Cole Stanley's request. The investigator said an origin-and-cause examination could not be conducted because the origin was in an active, hazardous disposal area that had been altered by dirt placed on burning material, identified Cell 10 as the area of origin, classified the cause as undetermined and closed the case.[1][2][3][4]
The State Fire Marshal's Office report classifies the fire's cause as undetermined, lists Cell 10 of the landfill as the area of origin, and closes the case. The investigator wrote that he could not conduct an origin-and-cause investigation because the origin was in an active landfill disposal site, a hazardous location, that had been modified by dirt placed on burning materials, and that there would be no way of ruling out every possible accidental cause within the waste.[2][3][4]
✓ Verified
The report says the Amarillo Fire Marshal contacted the State Fire Marshal's Office on May 27, 2026 to relay the Mayor's request for an unbiased origin-and-cause investigation, and the investigator traveled to Amarillo on May 28.[2][1]
✓ Verified
The report says Deputy City Manager/Public Safety Director Andrew Freeman sent the investigator links to social media posts related to a former City employee, and the investigator determined the content did not constitute criminal wrongdoing or indicate an intentionally set fire.[2]
✓ Verified
Section 1.3 of the released report says the fire originally occurred on Saturday, May 16, 2026; the City said the fire began Sunday, May 17 and spread beyond the landfill Monday, May 18, as the report's synopsis states, and that it was told a correction had been made.[1][2]
✓ Verified
The City said it received an initial copy of the report in September, sought to confirm the releasable version because of a 'SENSITIVE' stamp, and published it on October 6 after learning the same report had been released in response to a media public information request.[1]