SaskEnergy is giving area residents a heads up that something a little bit strange will be a part of the city skyline for a few hours today.

In a public safety announcement sent to the press, they announced that they would be conducting a controlled natural gas flare at the Swift Current town border station.

Set to begin at around 8:00 a.m, according to representatives from the crown corporation, it should last about 7 hours and during that time, residents may see a fifteen feet tall spout of fire coming from the stack at the border station, which sits just off the intersection of Battleford Trail East and Central Avenue North.

During this process, natural gas will be released from the gas line in a controlled burn called a flare. While the gas line will be isolated from the remainder of the system, flaring is required to remove the remaining gas from the line before work can begin. Flaring is an industry-standard procedure when natural gas needs to be released from a gas line and reduces the carbon footprint of the vented natural gas by 85 percent.

According to the press release, the site will be supervised, and the City of Swift Current, local R.M. and fire department have been notified.

Natural Gas service in the area will not be affected.