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  • An oil well fire specialist of Red Adair, Co. of Texas works to prepare a well for capping by sawing off the damaged well head in the Kuwait oil fields. The fire has already been extinguished but the well is spewing oil and gas into the air under high pressure. The trick is to cut through the metal casing cleanly without causing any sparks that could reignite the well and incinerate the workers. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War (July, 1991) More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_048_xs.jpg
  • An oil well fire specialist of Red Adair, Co. of Texas works to prepare a well for capping by sawing off the damaged well head in the Kuwait oil fields. The fire has already been extinguished but the well is spewing oil and gas into the air under high pressure. The trick is to cut through the metal casing cleanly without causing any sparks that could reignite the well and incinerate the workers. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War (July, 1991) More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_047_xs.jpg
  • An oil well fire specialist of Red Adair, Co. of Texas works to prepare a well for capping by sawing off the damaged well head in the Kuwait oil fields. The fire has already been extinguished but the well is spewing oil and gas into the air under high pressure. The trick is to cut through the metal casing cleanly without causing any sparks that could reignite the well and incinerate the workers. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War (July, 1991).
    KUW_046_xs.jpg
  • An oil well fire specialist of Red Adair, Co. of Texas works to prepare a well for capping by sawing off the damaged well head in the Kuwait oil fields. The fire has already been extinguished but the well is spewing oil and gas into the air under high pressure. The trick is to cut through the metal casing cleanly without causing any sparks that could reignite the well and incinerate the workers. The company was one of those brought in to fight the Kuwait oil well fires after the end of the Gulf War (July, 1991).
    KUW_037_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
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to extinguish an oil fire in the Rumeilah Oil Field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the hemoraging, flaming well. 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. (Supporting image from the project Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.)
    KUW03_4976_xf1brw.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumeilah Oil Field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the damaged well. 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. (Supporting image from the project Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.)
    KUW03_4871_xf1brw.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 Rumeilah 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. (Supporting image from the project Hungry Planet: What the World Eats.)
    KUW03_4858_xf1brw.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 what all the smoke was about in 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_106_xs.jpg
  • An unexploded rockeye submunition (cluster bomb), in the Manageesh Oil Field. After finding these rockeye submunitions all over Kuwait, the British Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team detonate them with plastic explosives from a safe distance. When they are found close to a burning oil well, a string is attached and it is dragged to a cooler distance to be detonated. 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. July 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_096_xs.jpg
  • Oswaldo Gutierrez, Chief of the PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela with his typical day's worth of food. (From the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) The caloric value of his day's worth of food on a day in December was 6000 kcals. He is 52; 5'7" and 220 pounds. Gutierrez works on the platform for seven days then is off at home for seven days.   While on the platform he jogs on its helipad, practices karate, lifts weights, and jumps rope to keep fit. His food for the seven days comes from the platform cafeteria which, though plagued with cockroaches, turns out food choices that run from healthful to greasy-fried. Fresh squeezed orange juice is on the menu as well and Gutierrez drinks three liters of it a day himself. His diet changed about ten years ago when he decided that he'd rather be more fit than fat like many of his platform colleagues. PDVSA is the state oil company of Venezuela. MODEL RELEASED.
    VEN_071031_240_2_xxw.jpg
  • Shahnaz Hossain Begum rinses tiny fish for dinner at a village well in  Bari Majlish, an hour outside Dhaka, Bangladesh. (From the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.)  The caloric value of her day's worth of food for a typical day in December was 2000 kcals. She is 38 years of age; 5 feet, 2 inches tall; and 130 pounds. Her micro-loan-financed small businesses have enabled her to build six rooms that she rents out, each for $8.65 (USD) a month. MODEL RELEASED.
    BAN_081213_173_xxw.jpg
  • Oswaldo Gutierrez, Chief of the PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela with his typical day's worth of food. (From the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) The caloric value of his day's worth of food on a day in December was 6000 kcals. He is 52 years of age; 5 feet, 7 inches tall; and 220 pounds. Gutierrez works on the platform for seven days then is off at home for seven days.   While on the platform he jogs on its helipad, practices karate, lifts weights, and jumps rope to keep fit. His food for the seven days comes from the platform cafeteria which, though plagued with cockroaches, turns out food choices that run from healthful to greasy-fried. Fresh squeezed orange juice is on the menu as well and Gutierrez drinks three liters of it a day himself. His diet changed about ten years ago when he decided that he'd rather be more fit than fat like many of his platform colleagues. PDVSA is the state oil company of Venezuela. MODEL RELEASED.
    VEN_071031_229_xxw.jpg
  • Oil Well in the middle of an orange field, Central Valley, Southern California, USA.
    USA_AG_ORAN_09_xs.jpg
  • The British Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team marking a safe route to drive through the Manageesh Oil field in Kuwait. After finding rockeye submunitions (cluster bombs) all over Kuwait, they detonate them with plastic explosives from a safe distance. 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. July 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_097_xs.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_035.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_033.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_035_x.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_034.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_034_x.jpg
  • At the Napa Valley Festival del Sole, Joyce Yang joined violinist Sarah Chang, cellist Nina Kotova, violist Katie Kadarauch and soprano Nino Machaidze in a chamber music program that included the Brahms Piano Quartet in C Minor, at Castello di Amorosa, Napa Valley winery castle built by Dario Sattui.
    USA_110721_033_x.jpg
  • PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela.  (Oswaldo Guterez is featured in the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.)  Oswaldo Gutierrez, Chief of the PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, works on the platform for seven days then is off at home for seven days.
    VEN_071031_406_xw.jpg
  • Ft. Ross, near Timber Cove, N. Caliornia Coast
    USA_100803_094_x.jpg
  • Recoletta Cemetery, Buenos Aires
    ARG_110110_168_x.jpg
  • The PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, where Oswaldo Gutierrez works for seven days as a chief of of the PDVSA Oil Oil Platform GP 19. (Oswaldo Guterez is featured in the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.)  Gutierrez takes seven days off after every seven days of work on the platform. .
    VEN_071031_085_xw.jpg
  • Tierra Santa religious theme park, Buenos Aires
    ARG_110108_117_x.jpg
  • Courtyard of the Hostal de Los Reyes Catolicos Parador (Hotel) in Santiago de Compostela, Spain.
    SPA_174_xs.jpg
  • Oswaldo Gutierrez, Chief of the PDVSA Oil Platform GP 19 in Lake Maracaibo, Venezuela, works on the platform for seven days then is off at home for seven days.  Seen in various places with other workers. Model Released..
    VEN_071031_089_xw.jpg
  • Tierra Santa religious theme park, Buenos Aires
    ARG_110108_147_x.jpg
  • Millie Mitra and her yoga teacher at her home in Benson Town, Bangalore, India. (Millie Mitra is featured in the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) Millie Mitra, a vegan, has a thirst for alternative medicine and homeopathic healing, as well as a deep interest in how her diet affects her body. She has practiced Shivambu (sometimes spelled Sivambu), which is the drinking of one's own first morning urine (200 cc in her practice) as a curative and preventative measure, for over 15 years. Millie applies urine to her skin as well, for the same reasons. Her husband Abhik has tried Shivambu and she helped her children to practice it when they were young, but currently only Millie practices urine therapy.
    IND_081205_253_xw.jpg
  • Downtown Kuwait city with burning oil wells in the distance after the end of the Gulf War in 1991. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_108_xs.jpg
  • Flying over Kuwait right after the end of the Gulf War in 1991, the desert is covered in smoke. The lights burning through the heavy clouds of smoke are some of the more than 700 wells that were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_107_nxs.jpg
  • Soumana Natomo waves to a fellow villager in Koukourou, a mud walled village on the banks of the Niger River, between the market town of Mopti, and Djenne, Mali. Africa.
    Mal_mw2_6_xs.jpg
  • Vista Clara, health resort & spa. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. Meditating after exercise as the leader beats an Indian drum.
    USA_NM_22_xs.jpg
  • Shot for a New Age story written by Bernard Zekri for Actuel Magazine. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. .MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_NM_20_xs.jpg
  • Shot for a New Age story written by Bernard Zekri for Actuel Magazine. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. .MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_NM_19_xs.jpg
  • Pouring water over hot rocks to create steam at River's sweat lodge. Shot for a New Age story written by Bernard Zekri for Actuel Magazine?France. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA..MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_NM_16_xs.jpg
  • Because it is Ramadan, the month when Muslims fast during the daylight hours, everyone is working at a slower pace than usual. Indeed, some men use the occasion to lounge about for hours, dazzling passersby with their most elegant outfits. Even during the rest of the year, though, men can often be seen resting quietly in shady spots throughout Malian villages while their wives pound grain, wash clothes, care for children, cook, and gather firewood. Published in Material World, page 16. Mali.
    Mal_mw_3_xxs.jpg
  • River's sweat lodge, with hot rocks, steam, beating drum. Shot for a New Age story written by Bernard Zekri (left, gasping for breath) for Actuel Magazine, France. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA. .MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_NM_17_xs.jpg
  • River's sweat lodge, with hot rocks, steam, beating drum. New Age. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA..MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_NM_15_xs.jpg
  • Vista Clara, health resort & spa. Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA.
    USA_NM_21_xs.jpg
  • Two young Muslim women from Hargeisa, Somaliland. Somaliland is the breakaway republic in northern Somalia that declared independence in 1991 after 50,000 died in civil war.  March 1992.
    SOM_55_xs.jpg
  • Mackenzie Wolfson plays field hockey with her counterparts who are also part of a weight loss program at Camp Shane in the Catskill Mountains, New York. (MacKenzie Wolfson is featured in the What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.)  A couple other girls do crunches lying on their backs on the grass in the shade on a hot afternoon. There are about 500 male and female campers housed in small cabins on shaded hillsides overlooking athletic fields, a small lake, and the camp's most important building, the cafeteria.
    USA_080717_270_xw.jpg
  • Rick Bumgardener takes a water exercise class after a gym workout at the Mercy Health and Fitness Center near his home in Halls Tennessee.  (From the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) The caloric value of his day's worth of food in the month of February was 1,600 kcals. He is 54; 5 feet nine inches tall,  and 468 pounds.  Rick's new lifestyle rules out one of his favorite restaurant dinners with his wife, Connie, and son, Greg: three extra-large pizzas, crazy bread, and no vegetables. There would be leftovers, but not for long, Rick says, as he would eat all of them.  MODEL RELEASED.
    USA_080424_227_xxw.jpg
  • Among the treats in the menu at a "longevity restaurant", an eatery claiming to serve food that will make patrons live longer, in Ogimi, Okinawa, are silver sprat fish, bitter grass with creamy tofu, daikon, seaweed, tapioca with purple potato and potato leaves, and pork cooked in the juice of tiny Okinawan limes. Hungry Planet: What the World Eats (p. 192).
    JOK03_0006_xxf1.jpg
  • Rick Bumgardner, a 500 pound retired school bus driver, at his first day of exercise classes at St. Mary's Health Center, Knoxville, Tennessee.  (Rick Bumgardener was featured in the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.)
    USA_080424_094_xw.jpg
  • The weight loss camp?called Camp Shane?in upstate New York.  Meal portions are tightly controlled, and camp activities include field hockey, softball, tennis, swimming and aerobics. Meetings with nutritionists and weekly weigh-ins are part of the program. Camp Shane is a weight loss camp for children, teens, and young adults, in the Catskills Region of New York State, established in 1969.
    USA_080717_360_xxw.jpg
  • Mackenzie Wolfson, a natural athlete (top left) and accomplished tennis player who plays on her school's varsity softball team goes through the first activity of every day at Camp Shane, a stretching class. (From the book What I Eat: Around the World in 80 Diets.) The caloric value of her typical day's worth of food in July was 1,700 kcals. She is 15; 5 feet nine inches tall,  and 299 pounds.
    USA_080717_340_xxw.jpg
  • Global Fitness Adventures Health Spa clients meditate on a sandstone arch, Sedona, Arizona..
    USA_AZ_22_xs.jpg
  • Global Fitness Adventures Health Spa clients do stretches on a sandstone arch, Sedona, Arizona..
    USA_AZ_21_xs.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
  • 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_064_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. 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
  • 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
  • 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_061_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. 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_052_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
  • Sara Akbar, development specialist for the Kuwait Oil Company, makes a cell phone call before joining firefighters from the companies (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. 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_061_rwx.jpg
  • Burning oil well in the Rumaila Oil Field in southern Iraq. The wells were ignited by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began in March 2003. 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. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030324_037_rwx.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
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil well fire in the Rumaila field by dousing it with high pressure water hoses. Then they will guide 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 wind shift after a sandstorm covered many of the men and machines in oil, a dangerous shift. 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_064_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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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
  • 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_070_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_067_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 extinguished 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 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_030327_048_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 extinguished 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_028_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and a replacement pumps near the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they failed to extinguished 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_023_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 Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and a replacement pumps near the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they failed to extinguished 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_013_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. 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
  • 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 with 5 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_151_rwx.jpg
  • A firefighting oil well worker employed by Safety Boss of Canada cools off in a tank of seawater in July 1991 during efforts to cap a well during the Kuwait Oil Well Fires. Ambient temperatures in the July desert exceeded 120 degrees F and often went much higher. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history.
    KUW_026_xs.jpg
  • Firefighters from the KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to extinguish an oil fire in the Rumaila Oil Field by guiding a "stinger" that will pump drilling mud into the flaming 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. Rumaila, Iraq. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030401_203_x.jpg
  • Boots and Coots team members direct 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. 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_286_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
  • 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_169_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_167_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_161_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_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
  • 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_085_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and a replacement pumps near the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they failed to extinguished 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_026_x.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and a replacement pumps near the second oil well fire they were working on in Iraq's Rumaila Oil field. Later in the day they failed to extinguished 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_025_rwx.jpg
  • Firefighters from the Kuwait Oil Company (called KWWK: Kuwait Wild Well Killers) connect hoses to water tanks and pumps near 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_002_rwx.jpg
  • 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.
    IRQ_030325_106_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 with 5 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_154_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
  • 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 KWWK (Kuwait Wild Well Killers) attempt to kill an oil fire in the Rumaila field by dosing the fire with water while 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_033_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_053_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
  • Aisa Bou Yabes, head of the Kuwait Oil Company firefighting team dispatched to southern Iraq smiles ever so slightly after his team extinguished their first oil well fire in Iraq's Rumaila field. The wells were set on fire with explosives by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began. Seven or eight wells were set ablaze. Here the ground is still smoking and oil boiling as the well still spurts some oil. 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_099_rwx.jpg
  • The Kuwait Oil Company firefighting team dispatched to southern Iraq extinguished their first oil well fire in Iraq's Rumaila field. The wells were set on fire with explosives by retreating Iraqi troops when the US and UK invasion began. Seven or eight wells were set ablaze. Here the ground is still smoking and oil boiling as the well still spurts some oil. The Rumaila field is one of Iraq's biggest oil fields with five billion barrels in reserve. Rumaila is also spelled Rumeilah.
    IRQ_030324_105_rwx.jpg
  • An oil well fire set by the Iraqi's in Kuwait after the end of the Gulf War in the Al Burgan field, March 1991. Larry Flak, the oil well fire coordinator, surveys the damage on one of the more than 700 wells set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops in the largest man-made environmental disaster in history. A month after this photo was taken, the $20 billion effort to extinguish the fires began. Each day, in this oil field alone, the loss was estimated at 5 to 6 million barrels a day. This photo was made at mid-afternoon when the smoke from the fires made the desert as black as night. More than 700 wells were set ablaze by retreating Iraqi troops creating the largest man-made environmental disaster in history..Kuwait: Burning oil fields set by Iraqis. 10 am.
    KUW_061_xs.jpg
  • Aisa Bou Yabes, head of the Kuwait Oil Company firefighting team dispatched to southern Iraq inspects damage to oil well heads in Iraq's Rumaila field. He is holding a wire used by retreating Iraqi troops to detonate explosives and set this oil well on fire in the southern Iraq Rumaila oil field. The wells were set on fire when the US and UK invasion began. 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_165_rwx.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 exhausted Wild Well Control Inc. worker takes a break while 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. Photo taken on July 8, 1991.
    KUW_043_xs.jpg
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Peter Menzel Photography

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