[Jonty30]

It’s over 1 1/2 acres. I don’t know of any tarp that they could secure air tight that way. The only thing I can think of them doing is to laydown metal slats across the hole until they have it covered. That’s assuming the hole isn’t burning at a temperature that is high enough to melt steel.

[ferret_airlift]

I would think something like that too. Smother it with it’s own exhaust. Also, that might help contain the gas, which will continue to come off after it’s extinguished...

[17th Miss Regt]

The volume of the crater is approximately 165,000 cubic meters, assuming an average depth of 60 meters. If you can pump in a lot of nitrogen or carbon dioxide quickly under a cover as you draw the cover across it you may quench the fire. Then you pour on the water to make sure it does not reignite.

This depends heavily on how much heat is rising from the soil/rocks after the fire is quenched - can you design a cover that will last long enough to quench the fire and not be destroyed from heat from hot soil/rocks?

An interesting engineering problem for sure.

[BiteYourSelf]

Butt butt fire can’t melt steel./s.