Coal and gas outbursts have long posed a serious risk to safe and efficient production in coal mines. It is recognised that the coal and gas outbursts are triggered by excavation unloading followed by gas-driven rapid propagation of a system of preexisting or mining-induced fractures. Gas-filled fractures parallel to a working face are likely to experience opening first, then expansion and rapid propagation stages under unloading conditions. This research aimed to identify the key factors affecting outburst initiation and its temporal evolution during roadway developments. Specifically, the response of pre-set fractures in a coal seam sandwiched between rock layers to roadway development is simulated using a geomechanical model coupled with fracture mechanics for fracture opening and propagation. In addition, kinetic gas desorption and its migration into open fractures is considered. During simulations outburst is deemed to occur when the fracture length exceeds the dimension of a host element. The findings of this research suggests that the simulated coal and gas outburst may be considered as a dynamic gas desorption-driven fracture propagation process. The occurrence of coal and gas outbursts is found to be influenced mainly by the coal properties, fracture attributes, and initial gas pressure and the in situ stress conditions.