Fumes coming from fires burning at a north Queensland coal mine won't harm those who live in the area, the mine operator says.
Several fires have been burning at GlencoreXStrata's Collinsville Coal Mine since last week.
A member of the public has complained to the Department of Environment and Heritage Protection (EHP) about the fumes.
But a GlencoreXStrata spokesman says the fumes aren't actually coming from fires, but "heatings" and there are no visible flames.
"Our gas monitoring network shows that the resulting emissions have very low gas concentration levels and pose no threat to human health," he said in a statement on Tuesday.
"However, we acknowledge the inconvenience the odour has caused some of our close neighbours."
The firm couldn't explain why and how the "heatings" had occurred.
Odour coming from the mine is being monitored by GlencoreXStrata, and the company is in touch with Queensland Mines and EHP.
A spokeswoman from the EHP said the mine is prone to "spontaneous combustion due to the nature of the site's geology" and mine was well-prepared to deal with it.
The department has requested a report from the mining firm to prove that appropriate action was being taken and that there had been no breach of environmental laws.
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