The flame burns in the shape of a huge 4 in a circle being designed by Reed Richards, it's not that atypical.
Three members of the Fantastic Four regularly use flare guns to inform each other of their position and to call them for help.
The would-be Robin is promptly arrested for reckless endangerment. The flare hits a sign, which falls down, nearly hitting someone.
In one issue of The Batman Adventures, a kid who thinks that Batman is looking for a new sidekick fires a flare gun to signal him in the middle of a city street.