An "awful" smell and intensely bright light filled the sky in parts of Merseyside last night.
People living across Merseyside, particularly Wirral, reported a huge fire lighting up the night's sky on Sunday, January 8. One woman even said she mistook it for a fire at her neighbour's home, while others reported an "awful" smell.
Many caught the fire on camera. Claire Hargreaves captured huge plumes of smoke rising into the sky, saying "this can't be normal."
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The flames, coming from controlled flares from the Essar Stanlow Oil Refinery in Ellesmere Port, were perhaps strongest felt by those living in the neighbouring village of Elton, where residents said they had "never seen" the flares "so bad." In the Facebook group Elton Village Chat, homeowners voiced their concerns wondering what the "awful" burning smell and intense yellow light was.
Lynne said: "What's with the flame at Stanlow. Never seen it so bad and the smell of fuel is awful."
Another woman from the village saw the fire reflecting on the side of her neighbour's home and mistook it for a house fire. She said: "[The] first time I saw this reflection from Stanlow I thought their house was on fire."
Another woman said: "[It] literally keeps me awake with how brightly it flares and how loud it is. It's frightening."
On Twitter, John from Chester said: "It appears Essar would like to warm the cold nights up! It is literally lighting Thornton-le-Moors up!"
The process, known as "flaring" occurs fairly regularly. However, in recent weeks people living in the area have reported the flares are much more intense than usual. Last week the flares looked like something from "Stranger Things" when they turned the sky orange.
A spokesperson for Essar said: "Essar has been undertaking a turnaround at the Stanlow refinery, as part of the site’s scheduled programme of maintenance and renewal. The recent flaring is part of the refinery’s safe and controlled start-up process, as the maintenance works are completed.
"Some flaring may continue for a few days, but then will quickly reduce to normal levels. We will continue to do all we can to minimise any disruption to local residents."
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