Flare for Effect: What’s That Giant Flame in Central New York

What’s that giant flame lighting up the sky in Central New York? That's the question on everyone's mind. At least those who heard and saw the fire in the sky.

You’re not seeing things — and no, the world isn’t ending, even though it looks and sounds like it.

Ummm What???

Brianne Tysco also noticed the flame on Monday, April 7.

She took a video on her drive and posted it on social media with the caption - ummm what????

Natural Gas Flaring

That big burst of fire is called natural gas flaring — and it’s all part of scheduled maintenance by National Grid to inspect the lines.

Flaring is controlled burning to safely release excess gas that cannot be used or processed.

If you’re near Union Street in Oneida, you’ll probably see (and maybe hear) the flame shooting into the air over the next several days. National Grid says they need to “bleed” the gas lines so crews can safely do work on them.

Flare burning at the Union Street location will continue on Thursday, April and go through Wednesday, April 16. The flare is scheduled to burn every day for 8-9 hours each day beginning at 7 AM.

So if you spot it — don’t panic. It’s not an emergency, just some routine (but dramatic-looking) maintenance.