Context : Aims : XTE J1701-407 is a newly discovered X-ray transient source . In this work we investigate its flux variability and study the intermediate long and short bursts discovered by Swift  on July 17 , and 27 , 2008 , respectively . Methods : So far , only one intermediate long burst , with a duration of \approx 18 minutes and ten days later a short burst , have been recorded from XTE J1701-407 . We analyzed the public available data from Swift  and RXTE ,  and compared the observed properties of the intermediate long burst with theoretical ignition condition and light curves to investigate the possible nuclear burning processes . Results : The intermediate long burst may have exhibited a photospheric radius expansion , allowing us to derive the source distance at 6.2 kpc assuming the empirically derived Eddington luminosity for pure helium . The intermediate long burst decay was best fit by using two exponential functions with e-folding times of \tau _ { 1 } = 40 \pm 3  s and \tau _ { 2 } = 221 \pm 9  s. The bursts occurred at a persistent luminosity of L _ { per } = 8.3 \times 10 ^ { 36 }  erg s ^ { -1 } ( \approx 2.2 % of the Eddington luminosity ) . For the intermediate long burst the mass accretion rate per unit area onto the NS was \dot { m } \approx 4 \times 10 ^ { 3 }  g cm ^ { -2 }  s ^ { -1 } , and the total energy released was E _ { burst } \approx 3.5 \times 10 ^ { 40 }  erg . This corresponds to an ignition column depth of y _ { ign } \approx 1.8 \times 10 ^ { 9 }  g cm ^ { -2 } , for a pure helium burning . We find that the energetics of this burst can be modeled in different ways , as ( i ) pure helium ignition , as the result of either pure helium accretion or depletion of hydrogen by steady burning during accumulation , or ( ii ) as ignition of a thick layer of hydrogen-rich material in a source with low metallicity . However , comparison of the burst duration with model light curves suggests that hydrogen burning plays a role during the burst , and therefore this source is a low accretion rate burster with a low metallicity in the accreted material . Conclusions :