A small Canadian town of 600 people is dealing with a colossal 60-ton problem.

The rotting carcass of a giant blue whale washed ashore near Trout River, Newfoundland, last week and is now spreading its stench throughout the town, according to multiple reports. What's worse, some fear the 85-foot-long whale may explode as a result of combustible methane gas brought on by decomposition, the Associated Press reported.

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"I'm not sure with the heat and gases that are trapped inside of this mammal if at some point in time it will explode," Emily Butler, Trout River's town clerk, told the AP.

Beached next to a community boardwalk, the whale is "blowing up," and "looks as if it's a big balloon, from a distance," she told CBC News.

Don Bradshaw, a Newfoundland-based journalist, tweeted the following photos of the beached whale in Trout River:

Closer look at dead blue whale on beach in Trout River, Newfoundland. Taken this morning. #whales pic.twitter.com/r6WS3k3teu — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

Another view of the dead blue whale washed up on shore in Trout River, Newfoundland. Taken this morning. #whales pic.twitter.com/o8gOJuxxtJ — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

Blue whale carcass in Trout River appears a little less bloated today than it did on Sunday. pic.twitter.com/6Ye3x4FmuG — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

Blue whale carcass still drawing a lot of visitors to Trout River, Newfoundland, Canada. pic.twitter.com/Oo5NAT6LTn — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

Latest shot of blue whale washed up on beach in Trout River, Newfoundland, Canada. #whale pic.twitter.com/GLxGP71ws1 — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

Federal government confirms it will take ownership of blue whale carcasses washed up in Trout River & Rocky Harbour. pic.twitter.com/hiNTbpsYNi — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 30, 2014

A little better perspective on just how massive this bloated blue whale carcass is. #whales pic.twitter.com/LPsdC91lnH — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 27, 2014

Another shot of dead blue whale that washed up on the shores of Trout River, NL. #whales pic.twitter.com/7DeEmBKlKi — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 27, 2014

The answer to the question I posed in my previous Tweet. Yup, a beached blue whale in Trout River. pic.twitter.com/hgKfMGWqBl — Don Bradshaw (@DonBradshawNTV) April 27, 2014

Provincial officials said they are currently working with federal agencies to help small towns on Newfoundland's west coast remove blue-whale carcasses. The Trout River whale is just one of three that are beached in this area. Blue whales are the largest animals on Earth, according to the Smithsonian Institution's Ocean Portal.

Jack Lawson, a research scientist with Canada's Fisheries Department, told the AP that the chances of the whale exploding are "very small," and that the carcass will more likely deflate like a balloon. He said sizeable beached whales can be buried with heavy equipment, or cut up and transported to a landfill.

According to this piece in The Atlantic, however, whales blow up pretty frequently. And when it happens, it ain't pretty. Case in point (Warning: The content of the video below is graphic in nature):

If you'd like to keep tabs on whether our Trout River whopper of a mammal has gone kablam, visit this site.