Oil Co. estimated a remaining life of 30 to 40 years for Burgan, at a production rate of about 1.7 million barrels a day. In 2010 the Chief Executive of the Kuwait Oil Company said that Burgan produced half of Kuwait’s oil. The possibilities of deeper plays below the known Burgan oil & gas resource appear to be under-explored. 1st Gulf War In 1991, retreating Iraqi soldiers set Burgan Field on fire during the 1st Gulf War in a scorched earth tactic. Smoke plumes from the Greater Burgan oil field extended 50 kilometers in width on any given day, and 2.5 km thick. From satellite observations the plume appeared like a black snake in the desert that extended parallel to the Persian Gulf. The Red Adair Service and Marine Company extinguished 117 of the burning well fires, while the Canadian company Safety Boss set the pace with 180 wells extinguished. Declassified 1991 CIA documents claimed that despite the destruction there was no significant depletion of the oil reserves and drop in production capacity at Burgan field. Three gathering stations were, however, too badly damaged to repair. The 1st Marine Division destroyed 60 Iraqi tanks in a battle that took place near the Burgan oil field. See also Hubbert Peak Theory List of oil fields References External links The World's Giant Oil Fields by Matthew Simmons Research Report of Simmons & Co. International Geography of Kuwait Oil fields of Kuwait Archaeological sites in Kuwait