The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service says its control room received calls this morning about flames which actually came from Fawley Oil Refinery, while operator ExxonMobil has issued a statement about why the process was carried out.
The site at the mouth of Southampton Water used flares today (Tuesday), after what operator ExxonMobil called a 'process interruption' affecting one of its units.
Similar scenes are likely over the next few hours, it said.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Fire and Rescue Service (HIWRS) said: "We’ve had a number of calls into our Control Room this morning (Tuesday)."
HIWRS added: "If you do need to dial 999 always try to provide as much information as possible so [we] can respond to your emergency appropriately."
An ExxonMobil spokesperson said: "We experienced a process interruption on one of our units earlier this morning and are currently working to rectify the issue.
"We anticipate the need to use our flares, which are part of our operations and safety systems, throughout today to allow our team to undertake their work.
"We apologise for any inconvenience this has caused and are working hard to minimise the duration and any possible disruption."
On November 22, GMB, the union, announced plans for its members to take industrial action, alongside workers from other groups who have already been campaigning for more pay.
The action is due to affect the site tomorrow, Wednesday, December 7.
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