Why you saw a city tower billowing smoke this morning

People in Brisbane city were startled by what appeared to be black smoke coming from the top of the iconic Telstra tower on Thursday morning. Here’s why.

Thick black smoke spotted in Brisbane's CBD on Wednesday morning.

Thick black clouds of smoke could be seen above the Telstra tower in the Brisbane CBD on Thursday morning, startling morning commuters.

Images posted to social media showed what appeared to be either smoke or smog coming from the top of the Telstra tower earlier in the morning.

Some Reddit users jokingly suggested the dark smoke signified another new pope, while others reported seeing thick black plumes seemingly from the Telstra tower.

But, according to emergency services, the smoke was actually caused by diesel generators.

Four Queensland Fire Department crews were called to the scene at 8.40am after reports of thick, billowing smoke above the Telstra Tower but were stood down shortly after.

A Telstra spokesperson confirmed a generator at their St George premises released the exhaust smoke the public spotted.

“We quickly shut it down and we’re looking into what caused it,” they said.

“No one was injured and emergency services weren’t required, but we’re sorry if this gave anyone a fright.”