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  • Arina Demirovic's first cigarette of her chain-smoking day. Smoking is quite prevalent in Sarajevo. Though "no smoking" signs abound, one can't see them through the smoke in most public places, Bosnia and Herzegovina. From coverage of revisit to Material World Project family in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001. ©2005 Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
    Bos_mw2_25_xs.jpg
  • Portrait of the remaining Demirovic family members of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001, with whatever new possessions they have acquired since the shooting of their portrait with all of their possessions for Material World: A Global Family Portrait.
    Bos_mw2_18_xs.jpg
  • The Emir's Gardens during the Kuwait oil well fires. The huge botanical desert retreat was slowly destroyed by the flames of burning rivers of oil from nearby wells that were torched by retreating Iraqis. I photographed the gradual destruction of this walled compound in March, May and July of 1991. This was one of the last small palm tree to succumb to the fires in July, 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_069_xs.jpg
  • An oil well fire specialist from the Texas company Wild Well Control shields himself from the intense heat of the fire so that he can more closely direct other workers using equipment on the end of long booms attached to shielded bulldozers in the Kuwait oil fields. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_059_xs.jpg
  • Joe Bowden of Wild Well Control, Inc. In March, 1991, heads of the three Texas oil well fire fighting companies made their first trip to Kuwait to survey the damage of the burning oil fields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in February. Here in the Al Burgan field in mid afternoon, it was as dark as a moonless night due to the heavy thick smoke. The only light came from the more than 300 flaming oil wells and the truck headlights. It was raining soot and unburned oil. It was estimated that 5 or 6 million barrels of oil were being lost every day in this field alone. Huge oil lakes were forming.
    KUW_054_xs.jpg
  • An oil lake and devastated desert landscape in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_029_xs.jpg
  • Kuwait oil well fires. Al Burgan field. Tornados of smoke reflected in oil lake.
    KUW_024_xs.jpg
  • An abandoned Iraqi tank in front of the burning Magwa oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. The desert was covered in oil that rained down from the clouds of oil smoke and oil shooting into the air after a fire had been extinguished. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_023_xs.jpg
  • An oil lake and devastated desert landscape in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_016_xs.jpg
  • Aerial of burning Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_003_xs.jpg
  • A camel grazes while an oil well fire rages in the background.  Hundreds of camels graze around the oil well fire in the Rumaila field being worked on by Boots and Coots. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve.  Rumaila, southern Iraq. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_066_x.jpg
  • General Crear of the Army Corps of Engineers talks with soldiers who have come to gawk and give a press tour of one of the burning oil wells just extinguished by Boots and Coots in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila, Iraq. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_021_rwx.jpg
  • Hundreds of camels graze around the oil well fire in the Rumaila field being worked on by Boots and Coots. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_106_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots firefighters photograph each other near a raging oil well fire in Rumaila field, Southern Iraq. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Boots and Coots had a team of firefighters in Kuwait ready to go into Iraq several weeks before the war began. All of their equipment (including bulldozers and trucks) was flown in from Texas on large Russian cargo planes (AN-124s). 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_104_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A "stinger" is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_105_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and pumps by the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they failed to extinguish this fire with water and then tried to stop the flow of gas and oil with drilling mud using what is called a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. This was also unsuccessful. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah..
    IRQ_030327_043_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) pray at noon by the first oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field. They did a double prayer at noon so they would not have to stop later in the day if they were at a critical phase. Later in the day they extinguished this smoky fire and the next day stopped the flow of gas and oil with drilling mud using what is called a stinger, a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.. (Supporting image from the project Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.)
    IRQ_030327_019_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A "stinger" is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. A sudden wind shift after a sandstorm caused the oil to blow back on the workers and equipment, causing a very dangerous situation because the oil and gas could have easily ignited. 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 is of relatively low volume. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah..
    IRQ_030325_055_x.jpg
  • A cluster bomb in the desert by an oil well fire, Southern Iraqi oil field. Unexploded cluster bombs litter the area around the burning oil wells in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field in Southern Iraq. The wells were set on fire with explosives by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began. The cluster bombs were dropped by US forces to clear the oil well area. A number of them do not explode and this unexploded ordnance is another hazard faced by the experts who have to put the fires out and restore the well heads. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030324_4614_x.jpg
  • Burning oil wells 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah..
    IRQ_030324_459_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) pray at noon by the first oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they extinguished this smoky fire and the next day stopped the flow of gas and oil with drilling mud using what is called a "stinger", (a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas). The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. The burning wells in the Rumaila Field were ignited by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began in March 2003. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030324_176_rwx.jpg
  • One of the oil wells set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in the southern Iraq Rumaila oil field (and one in the distance). The wells were set on fire with explosives placed by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began in March of 2003. Seven or 8 wells were set ablaze but at least one other was detonated but did not ignite. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030324_115_rwx.jpg
  • Masato Takeuchi (ring name Miyabiyama), a sumo wrestler at the junior champion level (sekiwale) is the premier wrestler of the Musashigawa Beya, based in Tokyo, Japan.   (Masato Tekeuchi is featured in the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) MODEL RELEASED.
    Japan_JAP_060629_001_xw.jpg
  • Professional Sumo Team (Musahigawa Beya) practicing in Tokyo, Japan. Wrestlers of the Professional Sumo Team (Musahigawa Beya) go through practice routines at their stable in Tokyo, Japan.
    Japan_JAP_060601_282_xw.jpg
  • Wrestlers of the Professional Sumo Team (Musahigawa Beya) go through practice routines at their stable in Tokyo, Japan. A professional sumo wrestler sends his opponent tumbling to the floor during practice with his team.
    Japan_JAP_060601_271_xw.jpg
  • Battle scarred hillsides around Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina. From coverage of revisit to Material World Project family in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001. ©2005 Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
    Bos_mw2_705_xs.jpg
  • Feeding pigeons at a downtown park in old Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina.
    Bos_mw2_703_xs.jpg
  • Cemetery on the grounds of the Olympic Stadium complex in Sarajevo, the site of the 1984 winter Olympics. A large portion of the athletic fields have become graveyards for the people killed during the siege of Sarajevo. From coverage of revisit to Material World Project family in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001.  ©2005 Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
    Bos_mw2_701_xs.jpg
  • Portrait of the remaining Demirovic family members of Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001, with whatever new possessions they have acquired since the shooting of their portrait with all of their possessions for Material World: A Global Family Portrait.
    Bos_mw2_34_120_xs.jpg
  • Lokman Demirovic portrait, Bosnia and Herzegovina. From coverage of revisit to Material World Project family in Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001. ©2005 Hungry Planet: What the World Eats
    Bos_mw2_26_xs.jpg
  • Portrait of the remaining Demirovic family members of Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001, with whatever new possessions they have acquired since the shooting of their portrait with all of their possessions for Material World: A Global Family Portrait. Demirovic Family.
    Bos_mw2_34_120_xs.jpg
  • Portrait of the remaining Demirovic family members of Sarajevo, Bosnia & Herzegovina, 2001, with whatever new possessions they have acquired since the shooting of their portrait with all of their possessions for Material World: A Global Family Portrait.
    Bos_mw2_18_xs.jpg
  • Kuwaitis on the Road to the Manageesh Oil Fields near the Saudi border, attempt to fix a trailer in a sandstorm. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_091_xs.jpg
  • Author Tim Cahill having a cigarette break while viewing the vehicular carnage still remaining on the Jahra Road in July 1991, from Kuwait City to Basra, Iraq. American forces chased and trapped retreating Iraqi forces north of Kuwait City on the night of February 25 and the day of February 26, 1991. These units withdrew via the Jahra road on the way to Basra, an escape route that has become known as the "highway to hell." They were attacked by coalition aircraft and it is estimated that several thousand retreating Iraqis died..
    KUW_090_xs.jpg
  • An aerial of a small section of the Jahra road from Kuwait City to Basra, Iraq. American forces chased and trapped retreating Iraqi forces north of Kuwait City on the night of February 25 and the day of February 26, 1991. These units withdrew via the Jahra road on the way to Basra, an escape route that has become known as the "highway to hell." They were attacked by coalition aircraft and it is estimated that several thousand retreating Iraqis died. .
    KUW_089_xs.jpg
  • Kuwait: Ahmadi Moslem graveyard; British explosive ordnance disposal team loading Iraqi arms/ordnance.
    KUW_085_xs.jpg
  • An unexploded landmine in the Manageesh Oil Fields in Kuwait near the Saudi border. Huge amounts of munitions were abandoned in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi troops in February 1991. Also, nearly a million land mines were deployed on the beaches and along the Saudi and Iraqi border. In addition, tens of thousands of unexploded bomblets (from cluster bombs dropped by Allied aircraft) littered the desert.
    KUW_082_xs.jpg
  • An unexploded landmine in the Manageesh Oil Fields in Kuwaitnear the Saudi border. Huge amounts of munitions were abandoned in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi troops in February 1991. Also, nearly a million land mines were deployed on the beaches and along the Saudi and Iraqi border. In addition, tens of thousands of unexploded bomblets (from cluster bombs dropped by Allied aircraft) littered the desert.
    KUW_081_xs.jpg
  • A dead Iraqi soldier surrounded by unexploded landmines in the Manageesh Oil Fields in Kuwait near the Saudi border. Huge amounts of munitions were abandoned in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi troops in February 1991. Also, nearly a million land mines were deployed on the beaches and along the Saudi and Iraqi border. In addition, tens of thousands of unexploded bomblets (from cluster bombs dropped by Allied aircraft) littered the desert. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_080_xs.jpg
  • British Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team in an Ahmadi Moslem graveyard loading artillery shells on a truck for disposal. Huge amounts of munitions were abandoned in Kuwait by retreating Iraqi troops in February, 1991. Also, nearly a million land mines were deployed on the beaches and along the Saudi and Iraqi border. In addition, tens of thousands of unexploded bomblets (from cluster bombs dropped by Allied aircraft) littered the desert.
    KUW_078_xs.jpg
  • British Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team sweeping for unexploded ordinance and bomblets in the devastated desert landscape in the burning Magwa oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War (near GC1: Gathering Center One). More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history. The entire country was walked by teams of experts and more people died in this cleanup effort than US and Coalition soldiers killed during the actual war.
    KUW_072_xs.jpg
  • Oil well fire fighting specialists from the Texas company Boots and Coots shield themselves from the intense heat of the fire so that they can more closely direct other workers using equipment on the end of long booms attached to shielded bulldozers in the Kuwait oil fields. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_068_xs.jpg
  • Oil well fire fighting specialists from the Texas company Boots and Coots shield themselves from the intense heat of the fire so that they can more closely direct other workers using equipment on the end of long booms attached to shielded bulldozers in the Kuwait oil fields. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history. Photo taken on July 3, 1991.
    KUW_067_xs.jpg
  • The Crown Prince of Kuwait visiting the oil well fires for the first time in May which were set immediately after the end of the Gulf War. The royal family fled and when they returned they finally went out to see the burning Magwa oil fields near Ahmadi, Kuwait. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_060_xs.jpg
  • In March, 1991, heads of the three Texas oil well fire fighting companies made their first trip to Kuwait to survey the damage of the burning oil fields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in February. Here in the Al Burgan field in mid afternoon, it was as dark as a moonless night due to the heavy thick smoke. The only light came from the more than 300 flaming oil wells and the truck headlights. It was raining soot and unburned oil. It was estimated that 5 or 6 million barrels of oil were being lost every day in this field alone. Huge oil lakes were forming. The men in the photo are: Boots Hansen (white jacket, Boots and Coots), Raymond Henry (Red Adair Company, red coveralls), Joe Bowden (Wildwell Control, yellow coveralls), and Larry Flak (oil well fire coordinator, black jacket)
    KUW_058_xs.jpg
  • Larry Flak- O.G.S. chief engineer coordinator. In March, 1991, heads of the three Texas oil well fire fighting companies made their first trip to Kuwait to survey the damage of the burning oil fields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in February. Here in the Al Burgan field in mid afternoon, it was as dark as a moonless night due to the heavy thick smoke. The only light came from the more than 300 flaming oil wells and the truck headlights. It was raining soot and unburned oil. It was estimated that 5 or 6 million barrels of oil were being lost every day in this field.
    KUW_057_xs.jpg
  • In March, 1991, heads of the three Texas oil well fire fighting companies made their first trip to Kuwait to survey the damage of the burning oil fields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in February. Here in the Al Burgan field in mid afternoon, it was as dark as a moonless night due to the heavy thick smoke. The only light came from the more than 300 flaming oil wells and the truck headlights. It was raining soot and unburned oil. It was estimated that 5 or 6 million barrels of oil were being lost every day in this field alone. Huge oil lakes were forming. The men in the photo are: Boots Hansen (white jacket, Boots and Coots), Raymond Henry (Red Adair Company, red coveralls), Joe Bowden (Wildwell Control, yellow coveralls), and Larry Flak (oil well fire coordinator, black jacket).
    KUW_055_xs.jpg
  • Boots Hansen of Boots & Coots Inc. In March, 1991, heads of the three Texas oil well fire fighting companies made their first trip to Kuwait to survey the damage of the burning oil fields set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in February. Here in the Al Burgan field in mid afternoon, it was as dark as a moonless night due to the heavy thick smoke. The only light came from the more than 300 flaming oil wells and the truck headlights. It was raining soot and unburned oil. It was estimated that 5 or 6 million barrels of oil were being lost every day in this field alone. Huge oil lakes were forming.
    KUW_053_xs.jpg
  • Oil well fire specialists of Wild Well Control, Inc. of Texas cap a Kuwait oil well after extinguishing one of the 700 fires that raged in the fields during the Gulf War. Working in high winds with ambient temperature well over 100 degrees F, workers dressed in Nomex suits drank 10-20 liters of water a day. (July, 1991).
    KUW_051_xs.jpg
  • An avid runner not deterred by disaster, Dr. Daoud, head of preventive services at Ahmadi Hospital takes his daily jog near the burning Kuwait oil fields. (May, 1991). Dr. Daoud, a Palestinian doctor working in Kuwait for many years, participated in studies of the effects of breathing oil well fire smoke for extended periods of time by dissecting the lungs of sheep kept alive in Kuwait and comparing them with imported sheep. He displayed some of the healthy and diseased lungs.
    KUW_045_xs.jpg
  • British Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team sweeping for unexploded ordinance and bomblets in the devastated desert landscape in the burning Magwa oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War (near GC1: Gathering Center One). More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history. The entire country was walked by teams of experts and more people died in this cleanup effort than US and Coalition soldiers killed during the actual war.
    KUW_036_xs.jpg
  • he devastated desert landscape in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_035_xs.jpg
  • Firefighters preparing a burning oil well so that the damaged well head can be capped in the Magwa field near Ahmadi, Kuwait. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_033_xs.jpg
  • An oil lake and devastated desert landscape in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_030_xs.jpg
  • In Kuwait on July 3, 1991, a Boots and Coots oil well firefighting specialist guides a stinger that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A stinger is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. Many of the wells are 10,000 feet deep and produce huge volumes of oil and gas under tremendous pressure, which makes capping them difficult and dangerous. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_028_xs.jpg
  • Apocalypse Cow: An abandoned cow in silhouette near the burning Kuwait oil fields immediately after the end of the Gulf War (March, 1991). Within a few weeks there were no animals alive in the desert. The burning Magwa oil fields near Ahmadi in Kuwait right after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. An abandoned cow is silhouetted by the burning oil well. All cattle died within a few weeks. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_027_xs.jpg
  • The Red Adair Company Capping an oil well after they extinguished the fire. The burning Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991 were covered in oil that rained down from the clouds of oil smoke and oil shooting into the air after a fire had been extinguished. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_022_xs.jpg
  • The burning Magwa oil fields near Ahmadi in Kuwait right after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. Tornados of fire are seen spinning off a burning well. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_019_xs.jpg
  • The burning Magwa oil fields near Ahmadi in Kuwait right after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. Some abandoned cattle are silhouetted by the burning oil well. They all died within a few weeks. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_018_xs.jpg
  • Aerial of a non-burning oil well feeding an oil lake in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_015_xs.jpg
  • An oil lake and devastated desert landscape in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_014_xs.jpg
  • A lake of oil reflects a fire in the burning greater Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_013_xs.jpg
  • The burning Magwa oil fields near Ahmadi in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_007_xs.jpg
  • Aerial of burning Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_004_xs.jpg
  • Aerial of burning Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_002_xs.jpg
  • Aerial of burning Al Burgan oil fields in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in May of 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_001_xs.jpg
  • US Army helicopters landing near burning oil wells in Iraq's 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_189_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) pray at noon by the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_154_x.jpg
  • An undamaged oil well in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field, in southern Iraq. Some of 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 are under high pressure from natural gas. The bigger blowouts are wasting 10,000 barrels a day. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_143_x.jpg
  • For five days in a row, Kuwait firefighters attempted without success to kill an oil well fire in the Rumaila field placed by retreating Iraqi troops. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_113_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) pray at noon by the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with 5 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_096_rwx.jpg
  • One of several hundred camels grazing in the Rumaila Oil Field of Southern Iraq walks in front of a burning oil well being fought by the Kuwaiti Wild Well Killers, a division of the Kuwait Oil Company. The Rumaila field is one of Iraqs 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.. (Supporting image from the project Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.).
    IRQ_030401_062_rwx.jpg
  • One of several hundred camels grazing in the Rumaila Oil Field of southern Iraq walks in front of a burning oil well being fought by the Kuwaiti Wild Well Killers, a division of the Kuwait Oil Company. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_043_rwx.jpg
  • One of several hundred camels grazing in the Rumaila Oil Field of southern Iraq walks in front of a burning oil well being fought by the Kuwaiti Wild Well Killers, a division of the Kuwait Oil Company. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_019_rwx.jpg
  • Bedouin camel herders at Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_017_rwx.jpg
  • A herd of camels roam the oil soaked grounds of Rumaila oil field in southern Iraq. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_005_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots team member turn a blazing inferno into a gushing oil well with high pressure water. The ground is still smoking. The well was capped two hours later using a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer (at present, there is a large rake on the boom that was used to clear debris. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila, Iraq. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_262_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots prepare to attack their first oil well fire in the Rumaila Oil Field after a delay of a week due to security, sandstorms, and bureaucracy problems. They are taking a close look while shielding themselves with metal roofing pieces to block the intense heat of the fire. Rumaila 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_117_x.jpg
  • Boots and Coots prepare to attack their first oil well fire in the Rumaila Oil Field after a delay of a week due to security, sandstorms, and bureaucracy problems. They are taking a close look while shielding themselves with metal roofing pieces to block the intense heat of the fire. Rumaila 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_115_x.jpg
  • A camel grazes near the Rumaila oil fields of southern Iraq.  Hundreds of camels graze around the oil well fire being worked on by Boots and Coots. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve.  Rumaila, southern Iraq. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_111_x.jpg
  • Boots and Coots team member study a gushing oil well minutes after the fire was extinguished; the ground is still smoking. The well was capped two hours later using a "stinger" a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_076_x.jpg
  • Boots and Coots prepares to attack their first oil well fire in the Rumaila Oil Field after a delay of a week due to security, sandstorms, and bureaucracy problems. They are taking a close look shielding themselves with metal roofing pieces that block the intense heat of the fire. Rumaila is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_075_x.jpg
  • The military public relations team moved in as soon as the oil field were secure to herd a bus load of journalists so that they could report on the firefighting effort by Boots and Coots, Rumaila oil field, southern Iraq. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_057_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots firefighters photograph each other near a raging oil gusher in Rumaila oil field, Southern Iraq. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Boots and Coots had a team of firefighters in Kuwait ready to go into Iraq several weeks before the war began. All of their equipment (including bulldozers and trucks) was flown in from Texas on large Russian cargo planes (AN-124s). Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_047_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots team members study a gushing oil well minutes after the fire was extinguished. The ground is still smoking. Well capped two hours later using a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_046_rwx.jpg
  • Mike of Boots and Coots after getting covered with oil while running a backhoe. The gusher was capped two hours later using a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_031_rwx.jpg
  • General Crear of the Army Corps of Engineers talks with Larry Flak of Boots and Coots near a burning oil well just extinguished by Boots and Coots in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field. Flak headed the 1991 firefighting effort in Kuwait that extinguished more than 700 oil well fires placed by retreating Iraqi troops. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_027_rwx.jpg
  • A Boots and Coots team member directs a backhoe clearing debris away from a gushing oil well minutes after the fire was extinguished. The ground is still smoking. The well was capped two hours later using a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, was pumped through the "stinger" into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_017_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots firefighters photograph each other near a raging oil gusher in Rumaila oil field, Southern Iraq. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Boots and Coots had a team of firefighters in Kuwait ready to go into Iraq several weeks before the war began. All of their equipment (including bulldozers and trucks) was flown in from Texas on large Russian cargo planes (AN-124s). Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030329_011_rwx.jpg
  • Boots and Coots attack their first oil well fire in the Rumaila field after a delay of a week due to security, sandstorms, and bureaucracy problems. They are using a heat-hardened backhoe to scrape away debris from around the burning wellhead while team members cool the equipment with a constant water spray. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_118_rwx.jpg
  • Gari of Boots and Coots takes a mid-morning break in front of one of the equipment containers near a raging oil well fire in Rumaila field, Southern Iraq. Another fire blazes in the distance. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with five billion barrels in reserve. Boots and Coots had a team of firefighters in Kuwait ready to go into Iraq several weeks before the war began. All of their equipment (including bulldozers and trucks) was flown in from Texas on large Russian cargo planes (AN-124s). Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_091_rwx.jpg
  • Bedouin herders keep an eye on camels grazing on new grass from recent rain in front of a raging oil well fire being worked on by Boots and Coots, in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest with 5 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_064_rwx.jpg
  • One of the oil wells set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in the southern Rumaila oil field. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_037_rwx.jpg
  • A burning oil well in Iraq's Rumaila Oil Field. 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 are under high pressure from natural gas. The bigger blowouts are wasting 10,000 barrels a day. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030328_021_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A "stinger" is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_157_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A "stinger" is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_147_x.jpg
  • Brian Krause, president of Boots and Coots, talks with Sara Akbar, development specialist for the Kuwait Oil Company, and member of the firefighting team from the company's (KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) as they prepare to extinguish the first oil well fire in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. After dousing the flames with high pressure water hoses, they sealed the spurting well of gas and oil with drilling mud using what is called a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila oil field is one of Iraq's biggest 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_126_x.jpg
  • Brian Krause, president of Boots and Coots, with Sara Akbar, development specialist for the Kuwait Oil Company and member of the firefighting team from the company's (KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) as they prepare to extinguish the first oil well fire in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Sara is a Muslim woman and is rather surprised by the way Brian, a friendly American, reacts to a photo by putting his arm around her. The other Kuwaiti's notice this too. After dousing the flames with high pressure water hoses, they sealed the spurting well of gas and oil with drilling mud using what is called a "stinger," a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. The Rumaila oil field is one of Iraq's biggest 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_121_x.jpg
  • A hand painted sign just across the Kuwait border in Iraq. 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. Smoke from one of the burning oil wells can be seen in the distance. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_111_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. A "stinger" is a tapered pipe on the end of a long steel boom controlled by a bulldozer. Drilling mud, under high pressure, is pumped through the stinger into the well, stopping the flow of oil and gas. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030327_083_rwx.jpg
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