Kuwaiti oil fires
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During Operation Desert Storm in 1991, Dr. S. Fred Singer debated Carl Sagan on the impact of the Kuwaiti oil fires on American Broadcasting Company News "Nightline." It is rumoured that Sagan said the smoke would loft into the upper atmosphere, disrupt the monsoons and lead to ecological disaster. Singer said such a view was ridiculous, that the smoke would go up only a few thousand feet and then be washed out of the atmosphere by rain. Three days later, black rain began falling over Iran, which essentially put an end to the speculation.
Side Note:The companies responsible for extinguishing the fires are Red Adair Company(no longer in business),Boots and Coots(now Boots and Coots/IWC),Wild Well Control,Safety Boss(now 2 different companies,Safety Boss and Key Safety Services),Cudd Well/Pressure Control,Neal Adams Firefighters,and Kuwait Wild Well Killers.Other smaller teams gained noteriety for crazy inventions for extinguishing the fires,but failed to cap a decent percentage of the wells.