Fires of Kuwait (1992) HD

[@goldenhide]

I have lived and worked in Kuwait since May 2019 and man, I can't imagine what it would have been like to see the sky blotted out and the sand on fire. Even 30 years later, some parts of the ground in the oil fields still show all the damage done by this. A monumental effort by well wranglers from around the world. So strange that I remember watching the war on CNN as a kid, and you saw the fires and stuff, and in pictures on books and websites about the war, but I never knew that there was one Helluva fight going on fighting these fires immediately after the liberation Not until maybe a decade ago at best. Thanks for sharing this awesome documentary. I wish people here in Kuwait would sorta have this type of "come together" mentality again. Sucks it took a war and warcimes to do it the first time, but this country isn't without its problems either. Just the way it is I guess.

[@nlx78]

I too remember seeing it on TV. I was 11/12 then and on my school here in the Netherlands, found it important enough to show this war from day 1 actually, by 'rolling in' (lol) a big ass TV into the general area where we'd spend time lunching or passing time when a teacher was ill etc. CNN was just starting to air 24/7 back then I think. The image I remember most are the green nightvision views and then explosions and rockets in the background. Edit: Note that our lunch time was when the Eastcoast was waking up and thus often showed the most important videos/reports of that night.

[@not1au]

Imagine it never happened because it didn't.

[@fdsman]

The last oil well was capped in November '91, not sure what you mean by "one Helluva fight going on fighting these fires immediately after the liberation Not until maybe a decade ago at best"

[@goldenhide]

@fdsman I meant that it'd been until a decade ago how ajd seeing this documentary for the first time did I realize the extent of the efforts to cap the wells.

[@alexutzusrl100]

thanks for sharing the exact same documentary I'm trying to share to my friends

[@7249xxl]

its weird to see footage of 30 years ago in such pure quality and color.

[@krowa02]

Analog film is basically 8k and it's been used since the 1930s-40s. The reason why it's weird to see "old" footage look this good today is that TV's and other screens we use today have only been able to display this level of quality for 10-20 years, before that you had go to a movie or IMAXX.

[@theearthisgood]

Main reason IMAX was and still is very successful. Remarkable technology and their inception was 1970!

[@markfortin9857]

I thought it was an IMAX initially.

[@Absolute_white]

i saw this in IMAX at the Pittsburgh science center as a child.

[@7249xxl]

@@Absolute_white i bet that must have been amazing to watch.

[@ChristopherWeaver1]

Love how the estimates where 5 to 10 years to extinguish them all, and the brave crews behind it all got it done in 9 months

[@TheCommissarIsDead]

I don’t know how they fit their balls on that continent tbh

[@SirFloofy001]

The fact the the effort to extinguish all the fires was nicknamed "bringing back the sun" should tell you all you need to know about what life was like under the smoke.

[@SaturdayLuggage]

i saw this in IMAX when i was 10 years old , always stuck with me

[@nlx78]

Certainly given the fact, those guys at most had a training or experience with something like this, RISC practice center in the port of Rotterdam. kzbin.info/www/bejne/bZXVpnWBeMhqjc0

[@benjamincardoza5335]

@@henrintibu This documentary was filmed specifically for IMAX. Which is why even today it looks this crisp.

[@mytmousemalibu]

Same

[@aelitadelarobia]

yep, I saw it first at the museum of science and industry, Chicago omnimax theater, then years later got it on VHS

[@bijibadness]

as a child watching this on an IMAX screen this was bigger than the whole world. for a kid to see such images of fire and hell and dust and smoke was really something. it was a truly memorable experience, and I cherish it. the movie felt dangerous. it was too big to believe, the images too epic to really understand. and it just _starts._ a glowering red in nothing but blackness, the fires of hell itself on the soundtrack. this is a work of art, and I got to see it first-run on the biggest screen around. I'm extremely lucky for that. wonderful film.

[@austingamble4497]

One of the best documentaries I’ve ever seen . Wish we all stood like this together now!

[@sforza209]

Unfortunately, tragedies is what brings humans together.

[@vinceb8041]

Documentaries like these are timeless and should be made more often

[@trihard7323]

An estimated one to 1.5 billion barrels of oil were released into the environment. After most burned, 25 to 40 million barrels ended up spread across the desert and 11 million barrels in the Persian Gulf, according to a 2012 paper published in Remote Sensing of Environment. For comparison, the 2010 Deepwater Horizon spill into the Gulf of Mexico is estimated to have released nearly 5 million barrels of oil.

[@eddenoy321]

And we wonder about climate change still ? I am sitting here in Arizona in 2023 and we have had nearly a month of superheated air . Not just here but all over the world.

[@CT-vm4gf]

Crazy. Not just the environmental effects, but the wastage as well.

[@sforza209]

This is one of the reasons saddam is kicking it with the devil as we speak.

[@PW.6060]

19:58 is one of the coolest things I've ever seen.

[@Ryan256]

Real Engineering has a new video about the largest fire truck ever built! kzbin.info/www/bejne/f2LMqXaJdshmmMU

[@Gutie70]

I can tell you going through these fires during the Ground War was like taking a glimpse into hell.

[@KevinRichards-my5oj]

I bet the fires & smoke turned day into night too.

[@amyk.labonte1364]

Yes they did. I was there

[@paulantbailey1277]

Just incredible effort from so many people well done. I was 14 in 92 and remember it so well watching it with my dad and completely amazed how they did it. Best documentary I’ve seen in years

[@MD21037]

To all the Firefighters who worked together, probably accomplished a task some may consider impossible! Thank you and may God Bless each and every one of you! The world owes all of you a great debt of graditude! Well Done👍

[@fishbarbeque8540]

Wow, this doc is unbelivable, this is more mad max than mad max itself. HUMANS are METAL, those men show why MEN ARE MEN

[@theViomax]

Ok... Big Wind.... Tell me that wasn't one of the most badass fire fighting implements ever conceived.

[@kriv8805]

The Hungarians managed to extinguish and cap 9 wells with the help of "Big Wind" within 38 days. The other teams on average did 2-4 wells within the same time period.

[@theptbophotographer1628]

Also Adds (At 4:55 a.m.) wonders how the heck did the crew and camera's get so close to those inferno's? In this film it says the fires was 2,000 degree's plus. Woah! Very brave people and crew doing this.

[@nlx78]

There are sorts of covers for cameras to prevent heat damaging it, but they also could have used great zoom lenses. There are also camera's mounted on the body of rockets very often kzbin.info/www/bejne/iXiqioyneamZiKs and a quick search teaches me those bodies of rockets can reach up to 6,200 F (3,425 C) when leaving or entering the atmosphere. Of course, they might not have those protection materials in the 90s. I don't know, but sure wonderful to see it in this docu! Thankfully, people were documenting it. And to people denying human interference of climate, Dinosaurs didn't set an oil field on fire with toxic smoke as a result.

[@xondeez757]

Some camera lenses can zoom in from far away. Even some new phones can zoom in pretty far

[@adamvanpr]

I listened to a "Rotary Wing Show" podcast featuring the pilot for the filmwork for this documentary. He said that during some of the shots he'd get so fixated on the flying and the fires that he wouldn't notice that the cameraman on the other side of the helicopter was sweating from the heat.

[@Nosuchthingastrans]

An amazing program thanks for sharing it with us..

[@amphore1604]

wow, amazing footage and nice documentary. tx

[@maxpower3144]

man you guys are awesome.

[@Shabobidhuffy]

Wasn’t this also filmed 🎥 in IMAX 🔮? I saw this when I was 8 yo. Mind blowing 🤯

[@Gutie70]

These men are the real heroes.

[@frankmaqbool]

No one wearing any protective gear over mouth and nose .... so much oil inhaled by these crews. I wonder if their is any long term damage to all these guys. Impressive that countries from all over the world not involved in the war came to help.

[@herrington292]

I'm sure they got paid well.

[@eddenoy321]

@@herrington292 They deserved it. No amount of money could have gotten me to go to Kuwait back then.

[@sway8503]

I remember watching this movie on a field trip to the space museum in Alamogordo NM

[@theptbophotographer1628]

I wonder if this is from the original 1992 IMAX movie with same title? I think so. I recall trying to watch a "4x3" SD (standard def) version many years ago - but quality was horrid. That was probably long before KZbin had 16X9 or could show HD content. Now on January 10th, 2022 seeing it in Full HD 1080 is not bad. Very clear and crisp. But wow omg the damage shown in this film blows my mind. Wow.

[@nlx78]

Hi, yes, I'm almost certain it's the IMAX version, but since I wasn't sure didn't mention it in the title. The reason I don't know is that I downloaded it myself from a source that didn't specify. About two years ago I rewatched this docu, then a month or three later wanted to share it with my dad, but it was gone. Since it's very interesting and so often forgotten when it comes to the first Gulf War, I wanted to have it on my channel for people still looking for it. I will look at the details later and edit the title/description when it's indeed IMAX version.

[@jakes.4147]

The end says “filmed in IMAX”, so I’d imagine so

[@ChristopherWeaver1]

Yeah it is the IMAX version

[@wasntme9578]

Yes it is. I have a copy on VHS I picked up while seeing it in IMAX in Calgary.

[@drwork2491]

@@nlx78 searching online, I can only see official releases for this on LaserDisc and VHS. I find it curious that it hasn't been re-released on Bluray. I wonder where the masters are and who holds the rights?

[@kellysparks9018]

I was on adairs team it was an experience

[@GlobexCorporationHank]

As an Iraqi who was opposed to the criminal Saddam regime, I ask all those bleeding hearts that opposed the liberation of Iraq because there was no WMDs, Saddam was the WMD!!! Look what he did to the Kuwaiti oil wells. Not only did he damage the environment in Kuwait, but also Southern Iraq, especially Basra which was a few miles to the north and the South west of Iran. May you rott in hell Saddam and curse all those who defend him today. The list of his crimes is too long to state.

[@herrington292]

As an American, I thank you for making that clear. I was young when Bush was claiming the WMD's and now realize that there were never any therefore I was mad at him for lying, but I am definately glad that you innocent people were liberated from him.

[@JF-pl2fh]

Thank you for this nuanced perspective GlobexCorporationHank!

[@mohammadmauler1881]

As a Kuwaiti we love Iraqis and understand he oppressed u guys too❤

[@Ruin3.14]

As crazy as 1.5 billion barrells lost, Kuwait's oil reserves are 106 billion. so in that 8 months, Kuwait lost 1% of their total oil. This is just Kuwaits oil, with total world reserves being in the trillions.

[@herrington292]

As I was watching this, I was wondering if they had any oil left afterward. You answered my question.

[@Ruin3.14]

@@herrington292 Yup, it shocking how much oil there is. Watching this film really had me under the impression that the loss was much greater, like 5-10% of the total oil in the world. For reference, the world uses 97 million barrels per day. So we roughly lost half a month's worth in 8 months in terms of current consumption and reserve estimates.

[@MutableDevotions]

I really, really, REALLY, want a high-quality 8k+ digital master of the original IMAX film. This could look so much better if it wasnt a lossy DVD rip on youtube.

[@Maasa_FIN]

great video

[@theearthisgood]

Those Texas roughnecks were awesome

[@Mohammadammar-mn5ld]

I am from Kuwait my neighbors house was demolished into powder😢

[@MIL-STD]

What a time it was.

[@teacorniciuc7723]

wonderful video, good quality

[@amvlabs5339]

so much oil wasted...imagine how much oil was wasted..

[@mrzuniga4658]

The Earth has enough oil to last till its end.

[@oatdilemma6395]

@@mrzuniga4658 nope

[@zochhuanawmazote1658]

The oil must be lasted after 20 years maybe even before.. But luckily we have a Car like Tesla. And Battery will overtake the world after the oil is not there anymore..

[@HeavyMetal45]

A bit ya, but these fires could have burned from half a century to a full century.

[@snatchweaselnixred1727]

@@zochhuanawmazote1658 Until lithium runs out too.

[@tall_lad]

Hi people from Real Engineering XD. There was a IMAX version of this video with almost a million views, does anyone know if youtube deletet it or if it was removed by the uploader?

[@fraserhenderson7839]

IMAX cannot be displayed in 1080P, incompatible format. It needs a 3 dimensional projection surface.

[@tall_lad]

@fraserhenderson7839 well yes it is """""IMAX""""" it was just a high res version. The video was named that way and had a lot more views and comments. But there should be a physical copy of the IMAX version somewhere ( IMAX was mentioned in the credits) 🤔

[@herrington292]

Verrry interesting!!

[@JorgearmandoCastanedaavalos]

Se desperdicio ese momento para hacer una movi o documental 😮

[@paulgdunsford7469]

Love the Hungarian jet tank

[@pete_dj33]

Is this the full documentary?

[@EphemeralProductions]

Is all the pressure the oil is under, natural? Or is there some kind of pump used?

[@klesstwo]

Oil is in immense pressure under ground - natural - no pumps

[@user-jm6hh7op3w]

I'm surprised that the oil well firefighters didn't have to wear any type of oxygenated respirator for breathing around all of the toxic chemicals\pollutants in the air?

[@Magnus_Bryndisarson]

whats the names of this Soundtracks in the behind

[@MIL-STD]

I actually emailed the composer, Michael Brook. His response was "FOK was the first score I did, and was analog tape. Unfortunately it hasn’t been digitized and so isn’t currently available. If that ever happens, I’ll endeavor to let you know."

[@tardigrades3184]

Song at the end is nice

[@bradr2142]

Thank god we had a president that understood the oil industry. President Bush knew exactly what he was doin . United nations are you with us or not.

[@l.3626]

this is literally hell

[@justmax8741]

I'm surprised the soviet team didn't bring nukes with them.

[@shoaibliaqat4180]

i don't know why full documentary if deleted from youtube

[@SRG_Donnelly]

2024 I identify as an airplane. 1991 I stopped a humongous oil fire in kuwait.

[@DrTWG]

wtf?

[@Yk_trans]

I was born in kuwait i live in kuwait everything is kuwait

[@resonance314]

A documentary of utmost kino.

[@Metaphix]

It's like mordor

[@ahmedaziz-kut4690]

هذه الحرب سببها السيطرة على النفط و لا شيء اخر امريكا كانت تسرق النفط العراقي بطريقة السحب الافقي و كان رد العراق انتقامي على فعلتها هذه

[@snipz127]

and Iraq got fked up lmaoooooooo

[@rudeone4life]

I remember it would rain oil... and the air smelled like burning oil... our clothing had oil drops on them while we hung them out to dry. Rudy Desert Storm, USAF AMMO 81-07

[@richiecuna5781]

i remember this on imax ha it was the first imax i seen and honelstly i think the next one was that oz movie idk

[@Kick_Rocks]

I watched this when I was 10 years old at the IMAX. It was scary. Watching this now at 40 years old I can see through all of the b.s.

[@herrington292]

Educate me, what BS are you talking about?

[@eddenoy321]

@@herrington292 Yeah me too , is he saying this was all fake ? Good God . Too many nutters walking the earth.

[@snatchweaselnixred1727]

Ah yes all made by AI in 1991 right.

[@l.3626]

this is fucking crazy to watch

[@EphemeralProductions]

These Kuwaiti guys were hardcore! Goin out there to fight them fires. 😁

[@BobbiPhantom]

A true hell on eath with so much fire. It's almost worse than Chernobyl (Chernobyl was still really bad).

[@wademacdougall1600]

Looking at all that oils that your country did not get

[@boylagerwaard]

6:40

[@patardlelephant9309]

When i see this, i really cant believe in humanity, especialy for the next crisis about the environnemental crisis

[@ecgodsmack86]

Saddam was truly a menace to the world

[@setituptoblowitup]

🗽🇺🇲⚙️

[@Nynexx]

all that oil can't be good for the skin.

[@LakshmananLM]

Vaseline is a derivative of this type of oil...

[@HeavyMetal45]

Make Greta Thunberg watch this 😂😂

[@gedgustilo1095]

U.S greed resulting this.

[@naas699]

so the heat from these oil fires being fed like a blast furnace cannot melt the steel pipe or fittings, yet jet fuel & carpets burning can bring down 2 buildings? (well 3 incluing WTC7)

[@eltontv6002]

the direct fires were above the wellheads. kerosene is purer and burns hotter. there wasnt a couple hundred tons of building on top of thos wellheads. its been 21 years get over it. cant believe how in every single documentary about fire anywhere some idiot crawls out of its hole to start ranting about 9/11

[@aelitadelarobia]

um, they could melt the tools, that's why the constant water, and yes the heat of the building fires heated the beams until they became too soft to support the weight of the floors above them

[@herrington292]

I don't know all the figures or facts, but jet fuel is man made, unlike crude oil straight from the ground. Man made stuff is always more potent and dangerous than natural things. Also, maybe the steel pipes and fittings were made just for fire and/or as the person below me also commented, that's why the water was being sprayed on it.

[@PW.6060]

Burning fuel cannot melt steel beams, but it can heat them until they will bend or break under stress.

[@haroldbalzac6336]

​@@aelitadelarobiaWhy didnt the buildings bend? It buckled. Like all supports snapped at once.

[@beanmanbutchina]

Why is it so fucking clear 💀

[@blacksmith67]

It was originally shot in IMAX, which is about as detailed you can get on motion film.

[@MIL-STD]

70mm film. As true to life as we may ever get. Even the highest KZbin resolution setting isn't enough to appreciate it's full quality.

[@IronWarhorsesFun]

i love they they invaded for "weapons of mass destruction" actually to steal the oil and saddam gave them this epic middle finger.

[@trashcanman6649]

Wrong war. The WMD story was used in 2003.

[@jasonzheng3096]

Stupid. Why take so long? Just a empty square steel box, drop to the fire point, when there is no oxygen, the fire will be extinguished.

[@HobbyOrganist]

There's a massive amount of pressure, that geiser of oil on fire would blow just about any hollow box right up in the air like it was a paper airplane.

[@HeavyMetal45]

Wow you’re so smart! 😂😂😂😂

[@MIL-STD]

If only you were around.

[@remik-ceha]

Someone saw in this movie women works with man ? I don't thinks so. :P