AP reports: Fighting around the southern Iraq oil fields that U.S.-led forces had previously thought were secure has driven out civilian firefighters trying to put out the oil well blazes, the top firefighter said Monday.
"It's not nearly as safe as they said it was," said Brian Krause, vice president and senior blowout specialist for Houston-based Boots and Coots. "We're kind of sitting ducks out there."
U.S. Marines declared the southern Rumailah oil fields in Iraq unsafe for journalists to visit Monday, forcing the cancellation of a trip under Marine escort intended to give the media a first-hand view of the blazing wells.
In semi-related news, oil has dipped just below $44/bbl according to Bloomberg. But there's a bad reason for the slight decline: traders believe weakness in the U.S. economy will reduce oil demand.