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Kuwait oil fires 1991

After the Gulf War in 1991, the retreating Iraqi forces started the biggest oil fire in history. Witness speaks to one of the American firefighters called in by the Kuwaiti government.

Richard Hatteberg was one of the elite American firefighers flown into Kuwait in 1991 to put out the biggest oil fire in history.

The blazes had been started by Saddam Hussein as revenge for defeat in the Gulf War.

For Witness, Richard Hatteberg recalls the hellish conditions, the technical innovations and the fierce competitiveness that led to the fires being extinguished in less than a year.

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10 minutes

Last on

Thu 21 Oct 201022:50GMT
BBC World Service Online

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  • Thu 21 Oct 201004:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online
  • Thu 21 Oct 201007:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online
  • Thu 21 Oct 201010:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online
  • Thu 21 Oct 201022:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online

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