We present our analysis and interpretation of the new solar flare observations in the mid-infrared continuum at 5 and 8 µm made at Kitt Peak (Arizona, USA) for the SOL2014-09-24 event and at 10 µm made at El Leoncito (Argentinean Andes) for the flare SOL2012-03-13. These observations fill the wavelength gap between ALMA’s current millimetric range and DKIST’s initial observing range. The mid-IR observations, with high spatial resolution and high time cadence, allow us to investigate the heating in the flaring chromosphere, and may also help constrain energy transport. By analysing the vertical structure of the chromosphere with the RADYN code (1D radiative hydrodynamic modelling) we suggest that the flare mid-IR emission forms at a height of around 1000 km, much higher than the mid-IR quiet Sun emission (which comes from much nearer the optical photosphere). Also, the mid-IR flare emission is optically thin and mainly produced by free-free electron bremsstrahlung, in agreement with the analysis of recently observed flares.