Australian river is bubbling hot! Suspected gas leak fuels fire on water of Condamine River

A heated row has reached boiling point in Australia over a suspected gas leak that has left a major river increasingly flammable.

The Condamine River in the state of Queensland has been captured bubbling while the lighting of a match brought flames dancing across its surface.

The bubbles have been spotted with greater frequency as methane levels detected in the water have risen. Credit: John Jenkyn via Facebook

A leak of methane was first claimed to have seeped into the Condamine near Chinchilla in 2012.

Landowner John Jenkyn posted several photos to Facebook of a phenomenon that locals claim has intensified over the past few months.

The bubbling has been detected both upstream and downstream of the Queensland river. Credit: John Jenkyn via Facebook

The Australian government told the national broadcaster the ABC it remained unsure of what had caused the seeps following a series of investigations over the past few years.

Locals have renewed calls for Queensland officials to launch a fresh investigation to determine the cause of the bubbling.