On behalf of the Kuwait Oil Company, Bechtel and an international team took on the raging fires, managed the environmental restoration, and reconstructed the country’s oil production facilities. In just nine months, the team extinguished and capped 650 damaged or burning oil wells in Kuwait.

‘Gushing oil and roaring fires’: 30 years on Kuwait is still scarred by catastrophic pollution… –

Read more at “The Guardian” https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/11/the-sound-of-roaring-fires-is-still-in-my-memory-30-years-on-from-kuwaits-oil-blazes

The leading image is friend Rick Thorpe (standing) and me, (bending over) collecting oil and soil samples in the midst of an oil well fire. This was one of more than 700 such oil well fires that littered the landscape for hundreds of square kilometers. That same image can be found on the cover of the August 1991 issue of National Geographic Magazine.

More than 700 oil wells were set on fire, creating an environmental catastrophe that required an international response. The picture above: Rick Thorpe and Michael Bailey – Photograph: Steve McCurry

Love and kindness are never wasted. They always make a difference. They bless the one who receives them, and they bless you, the giver.

Stepping on or driving across one of the hundreds of thousands of landmines and anti-tank devices that similarly littered the landscape was also a very significant concern. The massive detonation and resulting clouds of toxic nerve gas and biological agents released when the US Army blew up the Iraqi chemical weapons depots was similarly a factor of grave concern.

One time, when penetrating many miles into Iraq itself, Rick and I passed through the ‘Highway to Hell’ where some 100,000 escaping Iraqi soldiers were literally blown to pieces from aerial bombardments by US and Allied air forces. Smashed vehicles mixed with remnants of human beings were commonplace. We were in close quarters with Iraqi soldiers who surrendered in front of us near ‘Checkpoint Charley’ which was where the US and Allied ground forces somewhat foolishly halted their invasion into Iraq itself.

Actually, it is on the agenda to reconnect with the Emir’s third son, potentially in Europe or Kuwait. The Prince/ Shaikh presented the info and video that I and team provided to successfully guide his father the Emir, and his uncle the Minister of Oil, rapidly expanded the effort so as to bring in the people and technologies from other countries that were needed.

By direct collaboration and briefings with the Shaikh/Prince, the originally exclusive contracts with the Texas-based US oil well firefighters were expanded into a multi-national affair. As an alternative to massive the plastic explosive blasts used by the US contractors to create vacuums that would extinguish the flames for a few seconds, the Ukrainians introduced a Russian T-72 tank with a MIG jet engine mounted on top where the turret would be. This blew out oil well fires like candles on the cake. The Ukrainian’s innovative Soviet-era technology truly expedited the process.

The environmental media campaign engaged significantly aided in securing the resources needed to douse the fires. Original projections by the US companies were 5 years. With the help of the Prince and the international business interests, the final oil well fire was extinguished within 6 months. – Michael Bailey