Fiery orange glow lights up Singapore skyline, leaves residents puzzled

A fiery orange glow lit up the skyline on Wednesday (Oct 15) night, which left several residents wondering where it was from. 

Taking to Facebook on the CloudSpotting and SkySpotting Singapore group, a Yishun resident said that she was startled by the bright flaming sky in front of her door.

“It’s still burning now after more than an hour,” she said.

The social media post has since garnered over 280 comments and 1,100 reactions.

Some netizens also shared photos of where they could see the mysterious glow from their window — from Marina Bay Sands to up on a plane.

Among the more imaginative responses, a netizen quipped that The Eye of Sauron — the ominous presence from The Lord of The Rings — had appeared to cast its watchful gaze over northern Singapore .

Another netizen believed that the mysterious glow is not a serious matter.

“I saw this too while on my nightly hike, but there were no fire alarms or fire trucks,” he said.

The more likely source, some netizens said, is flares from one of the petrochemical plants in Pasir Gudang near Johor Bahru.

Flaring is carried out there to remove excess gas at the refineries for safety reasons. This process releases water and carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

This is not a new occurrence. 

Back in 2017, one of these "big" flares reportedly prompted residents to lodge reports to the Singapore Civil Defense Force (SCDF) after mistaking it for a fire in the Punggol or Sengkang area.

While the flares are harmless from afar, several residents on social media were concerned about noise and air pollution.

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chingshijie@asiaone.com