Upstate NY Man Finds Flammable Water from Gas Drilling

[mark1]

I just read a news article about a man in upstate NY who claims that gas drilling near his home caused gas to leak into his water supply and out of his faucet. He demonstrated this by holding a lighter near his faucet, which causes sparks to flame up.

Now, I took chemistry, and know how a bunsen burner works, but shouldn't the gas coming through his faucet be too dilute to cause flames? A bunsen burner has nothing but methane and a odor causing gas going through it. But a faucet, from which mostly water comes out, shouldn't cause a similar effect, since the gas is diluted in the water.

I an obviously wrong, since the man demonstrated this effect in a youtube video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/TEtgvwllNpg&hl=en_US&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/TEtgvwllNpg&hl=en_US&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>
but I don't understand why. Please explain to me how this can happen.

The article: http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/2010/01/02/2010-01-02_upstate_new_york_man_finds_man_blames_gas_drilling_for_flammable_water_.html"

 

[mgb_phys]

Methane isn't very soluble in water, so he would have bubbles of gas coming out.
Since it isn't mixed with air like in a bunsen burner you don't get the intense hot blue flame.

 

[flatmaster]

There may also be odorless gas comming up from the drain. Who knows what he has down there.

 

[otto1923]

Satan