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Peter Menzel photographing oil well fires at Rumaila Oil Field, in southern Iraq. The wells were set on fire with explosives placed by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began. Seven or eight wells were set ablaze but at least one other was detonated but did not ignite. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Many of the wells are 10,000 feet deep and produce huge volumes of oil and gas under tremendous pressure, which makes capping them very difficult and dangerous. This well was of relatively low volume. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.

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©Peter Menzel, www.menzelphoto.com
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Iraq
Peter Menzel photographing oil well fires at Rumaila Oil Field, in southern Iraq. The wells were set on fire with explosives placed by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began. Seven or eight wells were set ablaze but at least one other was detonated but did not ignite. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Many of the wells are 10,000 feet deep and produce huge volumes of oil and gas under tremendous pressure, which makes capping them very difficult and dangerous. This well was of relatively low volume. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
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