European Wildfires Expose, Detonate Buried World War Bombs

Wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed and detonated rusted bombs and mines from the First and Second World Wars, endangering emergency crews.

High heat has caused several weapons to explode in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. In the Dutch province of Limburg, a bomb-disposal team was called to inspect woodland near a 1944 combat site threatened by flames. In a forest outside Bordeaux, France, a massive wildfire uncovered a cache of what is believed to be Second World War-era ammunition.

In the eastern Belgian province of Liege, Governor Hervé Jamar reported a few sporadic detonations and said emergency services are adapting to account for munitions buried in fire areas. Jamar stated no fire crews were in danger, but local media published photos of a firefighter handling a rusted bomb. Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, said the blazes and detonations show Europe’s climatic luck is ending.

Njeri explained that consistent temperatures and predictable rain previously kept hidden weapons dormant, but climate change is now doing the work of unburying and reactivating what was previously stable. Heavy rainfall in January spurred vegetation growth that turned to kindling when summer heat arrived. This, coupled with drought, low humidity, and stiff winds, created optimal conditions for fire, according to a World Weather Attribution study published in July. The flames moved over territory long known to hold unexploded weapons, a lethal legacy from the World Wars.