A fundamental design consideration for concentrated animal housing is removal of moisture and air contaminants through properly designed ventilation. I can't speak to this facility specifically, but I would have to believe proper ventilation was considered since this is likely a modern facility. A +2 million square foot barn like this prolly wasn't just oilfield pipe and corrugated metal.

Google Earth aerials show it under construction in 2020. I'd imagine somebody with a license is sweating.

What a terrible situation.

Posted this on the politics thread.
My dad works in that area on multiple dairy farms. This is what he sent me.

"A machine that picks up manure and waste from the pens caught fire outside of the building. The driver pulled up close to the building in order to access a water hose. The flames ignited blown insulation and fans that supplied cooling air and ventilation provided extra oxygen to the fire. There are multiple such fans on the building and the air supply was like a bellows. The cattle were trapped and many trampled, smoked, or burned.
The owner has a dairy here at Lariat and a calf ranch just outside of Muleshoe. I do work for those facilities. I have never met the owner. $34 million in cows alone lost!"

Wonder if the driver really drove close to the building for the water hose. Huge mistake if he did.

Police chief today saying the "honey badger" that sucks the manure and water out may have over heated and then chain reaction ensued catching insulation and methane on fire.

Just to make things clear to everybody, "Badger" is a brand of manure slurry trailers. Manure slurry trailers are normally called "Honey Wagons". So that is why it is being called a "Honey Badger" It is a tank trailer that has a vacuum pump on it that is used to suck up the liquid manure. It is really no different then a porta potty service truck.

Burdizzo said:

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OnlyForNow said:

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So in your thought, the methane that lit off was "free" methane awaiting capture.

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I think what he is saying is that there was no capture system and that they methane just collected in the airspace above the cattle in the barn where something finally set it off.

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This is correct that no methane capture system was in place.