A SLOW-burning fire in an abandoned coal exploration well west of Dalby has raised serious concerns potentially thousands of similar abandoned test holes littering western Queensland could become "ticking time bombs" as coal seam gas production increases.
Minister for Natural Resources and Mines Andrew Cripps said work would begin immediately to extinguish the fire, which was discovered by two local men on Saturday night, following a meeting of Queensland government officers, Peabody Energy (which own the neighbouring Wilkie Creek coal mine) and Arrow Energy on Tuesday.
He said officers from the Petroleum and Gas Inspectorate would oversee a two-stage operation that will extinguish the shallow flame, stabilise the former exploration site and then seal it.
He said the success and timeframe of the operation would depend upon favourable weather.
It is understood the hole was drilled 32 years ago for Marathon Coal.
The fire site, which is located along a stock route, neighbours three Arrow Energy gas wells, located between 750m and 1km away on both Arrow and Western Downs property.
Among the potential sources of ignition were ambers flowing from an unauthorised rubbish burn being carried out at a council dump on Saturday afternoon, which is located only a few hundred metres from the fire site, and reported to Queensland Country Life by several landholders.
QCL
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