Link states a more pressing concern: Large quantities of methane gas were released, however, creating an environmental problem and posing a potential danger to

Link states a more pressing concern: Large quantities of methane gas were released, however, creating an environmental problem and posing a potential danger to the people of the nearby villages. Fearing the further release of poisonous gases from the cavern, the scientists decided to burn it off. They thought that it would be safer to burn it than to extract it from underground through expensive methods.