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.
Basin Sustainability Alliance (BSA) member and local landholder Wayne Newton said CSG companies and the government must study what is causing the gas to find pathways and escape to the surface.
"It raises the question as to how many other parts of Queensland countryside has this kind of crack or holes in it for gas to escape," he said.
"The scary fact is that there are way too many unknowns when it comes to the CSG industry."
This leak follows the recent sighting of gas bubbling from a leak in the Condamine River, which is still being investigated by Origin Energy and the State government.
Mr Newton questioned if these incidents were occurring when there are around 4000 wells operational in Queensland, what kind of environmental and safety impact will we be facing when there are more than 40,000 wells built?
In a statement an Arrow spokesperson said there was no evidence Arrow's operations have caused gas to leak from this 32-year-old coal exploration bore and it is unknown how long this bore has been flowing gas.
"The coal seam gas industry plugs and abandon unused gas wells," the spokesperson said.
"The CSG industry reduces reservoir pressure by only taking enough water to reduce hydrostatic pressure and allow gas to flow."
However, Dalby-based water driller Ian Hansen, who has more than 35-years experience in the Great Artesian Basin, said there are potentially thousands of resource company exploration test-holes littered across western Queensland that have been drilled through multiple aquifers but have been left uncased or unsealed.
He said this latest gas fire incident showed the region was "a ticking bomb waiting to go off."
"The CSG industry has not even started serious production yet because they don't have the pipeline in place and they have not finished their work at Curtin Island," he said.
"The industry not producing any of the gas they are predicting but when production does ramp up you will start seeing the water getting pumped out and that's when we'll get the troubles.
"I've come across these unsealed wells many times in my career - they are just everywhere.
"The companies and the government have got to find where all the holes are but it will be almost impossible, this practice has been happening for decades - the horse has bolted."
Megan Baker, who farm less than 4km from the fire site said she knew of at least 19 abandoned test holes throughout their property following decades of exploration from resource companies.
Mrs Baker said the latest abandoned hole was found only last week while fencing.
