Tall flame may be visible as Piedmont Natural Gas performs routine maintenance

WILMINGTON, NC (WWAY) — If you see a tall flame shooting into the sky from a pipe over the next week in Wilmington, don’t be alarmed.

Piedmont Natural Gas will perform routine infrastructure maintenance in Wilmington from Thursday through March 22nd.

The work will take place in the 700 block of Sunnyvale Drive, close to the intersection of Bryan Road.  These operations will include the use of a flare stack (a large vertical pipe), which could produce a loud noise and result in a tall flame being visible to nearby neighborhoods and businesses. People in the area also may notice a whistling sound or the smell of natural gas.

Flare stack operation is a controlled process that will be managed and monitored by Piedmont Natural Gas personnel in cooperation with local fire department resources, according to a press release.