Firefighters Startled by Over 100 Explosions as Wildfires Unearth World War I and II Shells

Wildfires Fueled by Heatwaves and Drought Bring World War-Era Unexploded Ordnance to Light

Over 400 Shells and Ammunitions Recovered in Gironde, France

Unexploded Ordnance Managed Along the Belgium-Germany Border

This summer, the massive wildfires that have swept across Europe are bringing unexploded ordnance from the two World Wars back to the surface.

Photo illustrating an article showing a firefighter conducting extinguishing operations amid wildfires spreading in Europe. Photo by AP Yonhap News.

On August 23 (local time), according to Yonhap News citing Euronews, “Europe has been exposed to an unexpected new threat as wildfires have spread due to a combination of heatwaves and drought.” As flames swept across vast areas, unexploded shells from World War I and II that had lain dormant underground for decades began to surface in large numbers, putting firefighters and nearby residents at serious risk. France, Germany, Belgium, and the Netherlands have all reported actual explosions of these uncovered shells.

A Cluster of Shells Discovered in Belgium, France, and Other Regions

On August 17, in Liège Province in eastern Belgium, smoke billowed from fields scorched black by fire. Local authorities in this region on the German border have now factored unexploded ordnance into their emergency response procedures. Although the provincial governor emphasized that firefighters are not currently in danger, local media published photos of firefighters handling rusted bombs.

The area of the nature reserve affected by this wildfire is considered one of the major battlegrounds of World War II. In 1944, this location was the site of the Battle of the Bulge, where German forces launched a major offensive against Allied troops, scattering booby traps, bombs, and landmines throughout the region.

Holding a shell handed over from a museum in Belgium Photo by AP Yonhap News

The task of clearing war debris is already nearly routine in Belgium. The Belgian Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service (DOVO) receives more than 3,000 reports each year and disposes of 200 to 250 tons of munitions left over from both world wars. Such requests are even more frequent in western Belgium. Farmers in the Ypres area, infamous for World War I trench warfare, refer to the war debris that surfaces every year as they plow their fields as the “iron harvest.” The Ministry of Defense stated, “There is a request for explosive disposal assistance from Liège about once a week,” and added, “This region is not considered exceptionally dangerous nationwide.”

Unexploded ordnance also surfaced in Gironde, southwestern France, where wildfires raged. Firefighters reported more than 100 explosions in the midst of the flames. Initially, officials believed gas canisters were bursting, but later concluded that the heat had detonated buried munitions. On August 3, local authorities in Gironde announced, “After deploying civil defense experts for explosive disposal operations, we have collected more than 400 shells and ammunitions.”

Marcial Gianinetti, mayor of Le Porge, stated that shells hurled by the heat created “the sound of war.” He added, “Shells exploded, some flew left or right crossing various areas, and one even passed through a house.”

“Climate Change Is Reviving the Remnants of War”

The drought is producing similar outcomes. As Europe’s major rivers such as the Rhine and Danube experienced record-low water levels due to extreme drought, German warships, military vehicles, motorcycles, and shells from World War II have emerged from beneath the water. Earlier this month, the wreckage of a German warship also resurfaced in front of the Djerdap 2 Dam on the Danube River near Prahovo, Serbia, drawing public attention.

Experts interpret this as a phenomenon where “climate change is reviving the remnants of war.” Sara Enjaili, a researcher at SOAS University of London, told Euronews, “Previously stable, buried objects are being exposed and reactivated due to climate change.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.