This powerful photograph contributes to documentary photography with its ability to capture a moment in time. The black and white creates a contrasting effect that successfully shows the immensity of the scene. Two firemen attempt to put out a roaring flame in a dreary area of Kuwait. You can see in the background that a similar fire has broken out in the distance on the left hand side. It seems the flames stem from oil wells.
“Sebastião Salgado: Kuwait (1991): Available for Sale.” Artsy, n.d. https://www.artsy.net/artwork/sebastiao-salgado-kuwait-1.
Yes, they were deliberately set by Saddam Hussein’s forces in retaliation for U.S. intervention. Salgado later published a book of these photographs.