Mossmorran flaring sparks rush of calls to fire service

Fife Fire and Rescue Service were inundated with calls from across Fife as worried members of the public mistook flaring at Mossmorran for raging fires.

The service said all the calls turned out to be false alarms with good intent.

Last week the public were told to expect to see flaring from ExxonMobil Chemical’s Mossmorran plant as it carries out its annual shutdown.

Fife Ethylene Plant has shut down for around five weeks, during which ExxonMobil Chemical’s workforce and specialist engineers will carry out routine maintenance and safety inspections of equipment.

There were to be periods of elevated flaring at the plant, on the outskirts of Cowdenbeath.

The flare is an essential part of the plant’s safety systems and at no time would there be any danger to communities or employees, the company said.