Bifalgorithm post

Why did ancient granaries rarely catch fire? Despite being filled with highly flammable grain. Grain dust is explosive. A single spark can cause devastating explosions that destroy entire warehouses. Ancient granaries stored thousands of tons of wheat and barley in wooden buildings with oil lamps and torches nearby. Fire should have been inevitable. But ancient builders designed granaries to prevent the conditions that cause grain fires. They built thick stone walls to contain any fires and created constant airflow through buildings using vents at the bottom and top of walls. Moving air prevented grain dust from accumulating to dangerous levels. Grain dust only explodes when it reaches specific concentrations in still air. Ventilation kept dust below the combustion threshold. Some granaries had sand and water systems specifically for firefighting.

Why did ancient granaries rarely catch fire? Despite being filled with highly flammable grain. Grain dust is explosive. A single spark can cause devastating ex…