Australian authorities are unable to explain what caused a fire on a remote mountain range in central Queensland.

Authorities were alerted a to a bright flash striking the mountain at around 6.30am local time and mounted an air and ground search thinking a light aircraft may have crashed.

The Australian Search and Rescue Authority said it did not receive any mayday or distress calls from aircraft, though the crew from a search and rescue helicopter did find a fire on the mountain, but no signs of wreckage.

“There is a fire up there but it could have been caused by a space junk or meteor strike, or even a lightning strike,” a spokesman for the AGL Action Rescue Helicopter said.

A resident of Dalby, about 350km southwest of Takilberan Creek, said she saw an explosion of white-yellow light streak across the sky about 6am.

“It was brighter and larger and too low in the sky to be a falling star,” Jo Kemlo said.

“It was just a flash, it was kind of like a comet tail, but just for a few seconds.

Police from Gin Gin, northwest of Takilberan Creek are currently conducting a ground search of the thickly forested area but are yet to locate the cause of the bright light or fire.

Space authorities said it was not uncommon for natural material to hit the earth, with about 100 tons of material entering the earth’s atmosphere every day.

A UFO Research Queensland spokeswoman said they had received no reports about the incident.