Fife’s skyline was aglow for the second night running last night as more flaring took place at the Fife Ethylene Plant at Mossmorran.
The high-reaching flames from the factory, which is operated by ExxonMobil, could be seen for miles around, as well as across the Forth towards Edinburgh and even across the Tay Road Bridge.
The Courier also received reports of the spectacular blaze from readers living as far afield as Angus and Stirlingshire.
Fife Fire and Rescue Service said they had received a “high volume” of inquiries about the flaring, with some people mistaking it for a fire.
She added: “ExxonMobil has confirmed it is responsible for the flaring and it may continue for some time.”
An ExxonMobil spokesman said: “We would like to apologise for the inconvenience and concern to the local community and reassure them that there is no risk to individuals or people working at the plant.”
The flaring may have sparked interest right across Courier Country but for residents living near Mossmorran it was nothing to get excited about.
Mary Maxwell, of Church Street, Cowdenbeath, who has lived in the town for many years with her husband, Alex, a former Fife councillor, said: “For folk living around here, it’s just one of these things you get used to and it doesn’t seem to put anyone up nor down although there will always be some people concerned about what effect the flaring has on the environment.
“For my husband and I, it’s really not a concern although my grandchildren did get excited on Thursday evening when they saw the flaring as we were driving back to Cowdenbeath from Kirkcaldy and the flames certainly did seem a lot brighter and bigger than normal.”
Matt Easton, who also lives in the town and works at nearby Kelly’s Welders and Blacksmiths Ltd in Thistle Industrial Estate, added: “There was a lot of talk about what was going on at the plant to cause such excessive flaring but residents know that flaring does go on from time to time so it’s never a real cause for concern.
“I have heard people complain in the past that it can be quite noisy, though.”
An ExxonMobil spokesman last night explained what had caused the flaring.
“Basically it was caused by a short fuel quality issue in the gas supply to the plant from St Fergus and we are working with our supply partners to prevent a recurrence.
“The flare is part of the safety system on the site. It is used to safely depressurise the plant when we shut down and then manage the feed, until such time as we have fully restarted the plant.
“We are restarting the plant and are working to resume normal operations.”
cwilson@thecourier.co.uk