Is it possible for lightning to blow up an industrial size gas container? The British media says it is. I have never heard of such and you would think it be a pretty common occurrence across the Gulf Coast. https://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/1819227/Oxford-explosion-fireball-live

If the tank had fumes in it absolutely.

Usually there’s devices that pull off the fumes for that exact reason. I’ve seen tracer rounds shot into jet fuel tanks and nothing has happened but I’ve also seen tracers hit tanks with fumes and that makes for an exciting ride home

My old man was in aviation when he retired in '81. Summer after my 6th and 7th grade years, he'd drop me off at ponds near the airfield and i'd fish till he got off work or i'd get tired and could walk up to the airfield. I got to hang out in the hanger several times. Seems i remember him telling me once that they kept the tanks on the birds full of fuel because it was "safer" than the fumes in empty tanks. Something to the effect of "you could put a cig out in a full fuel tank, where there could really be a problem with fumes in an empty tank". Now, we're talking 40+ years ago, so my memory might not be quite right.

You can pour some Gas in a Cup and light it and it will burn like kerosene. Now.....pour it out over an area We ALL know POOF!!! Let it become Vapor.....Well.....that's what makes your Vehicle Run!!

TWA flight from New York to Rome crashed due to a fuel-air mixture build up in center tank. Explosion about 10 minutes after take off.

I would think they would have a protection system in place to prevent a lightning strike. If not I would not get anywhere near the area in a storm.

Sealable bladder vs tank?

Back in January my sister had lightning hit a large oak, travel down it into the ground, and hit the copper fuel line running between her tank at the house. The lightning did not effect the tank even though it was much closer to the tree than the house. It blew the connection at the stove and burned her kitchen up. She still has not been able to move back in as the smoke damage was bigly and everything had to be gutted and replaced including all the drywall throughout the house. Not sure why the tank was not affected in the least.

The tank is metal and the electric current traveled around the shell of the tank not through it.

As an aside, our fuel bladders on the MV-22B had nitrogen pumped into them. They also have self-sealing properties up to a certain caliber. The name for the dead space in the tank is called "ullage."

i don't think they mean gas as in gasoline, but Biogas from a digester tank

biogas=Biogas a renewable fuel that's produced when organic matter, such as food or animal waste, is broken down by microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. This process is called anaerobic digestion. For this to take place, the waste material needs to be enclosed in an environment where there is no oxygen.

digester tank=A digester is a large tank where various biological reactions occur, usually to promote decomposition or to extract essential components. Digesters are used in different types of industrial processes such as anaerobic digestion, soda process, and sulfite process.