What caused the mysterious loud noise in Saugus? A malfunction at a waste facility.

Acting mayor of neighboring Revere calls for plant shut down

Saugus and Revere residents were rattled Monday night by a loud and persistent noise. One lawmaker likened it to “a fighter jet.”

But residents need not be alarmed. It turns out the racket came from a waste facility, officials said.

WIN Waste said a malfunctioning valve caused “the venting of steam that was both visible and audible” during a scheduled weekly test of the turbine generator.

“The plant’s safety equipment worked as designed, the plant was taken offline, the issue was resolved, and the noise abated in approximately 20 minutes,” the company said.

After “identifying and addressing the cause of the incident, the plant was brought back online and is in normal operations at this time,” the company added. “At no time was there any threat to public or environmental health and safety.”

“We understand that the noise was disruptive and, in some instances, even startling to our neighbors, and for that we sincerely apologize. We will continue to take the necessary steps to avoid any recurrence.”

Revere Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe called for the immediate closure of the WIN Waste site in a statement released Tuesday evening.

Keefe said 30 minutes of continuous noise from the facility was heard across four districts in Revere.

“The events of last night are just the latest example of the disrespect and utter disregard for people of the leaders by Win Waste Management,” Keefe said.

As the oldest incinerator site in the country, he called the facility “unsafe” and said that it “lacked emergency operational procedures.”

On Tuesday morning, state Representative Jessica A. Giannino wrote on Facebook that the noise “sounded like a fighter jet flying inches from my house.”

“As I rushed outside, my fear turned to anger when I realized the roar wasn’t a jet — it was what can only be described as a continuous eruption of the unknown coming from WIN Waste Saugus.”

Giannino said the malfunction was “the latest in a long list of examples demonstrating why this facility must be shut down.”

“I’m tired of the excuses. Thankfully no one was injured. If you believe that our communities deserve better, then let the members of the Joint Committee on [Environment and Natural Resources] know.”

The Saugus facility disposes of “as much as 1,500 tons per day of everyday household and business waste from 10 Massachusetts communities,” according to its website.