Europe Wildfires Expose 400 WWII Shells as Heat Detonates Buried Ordnance
Updated
Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22
Europe Wildfires Expose 400 WWII Shells as Heat Detonates Buried Ordnance
3 articles · Updated · CBS New York · Aug 22
Summary
Around 400 World War II-era shells and ammunition pieces were recovered in Le Porge near Bordeaux after a massive wildfire triggered blasts believed to be buried munitions exploding.
Fire and local officials said one munition pierced a house and more than 180 homes were destroyed, while emergency crews across Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands adapted operations around hidden bombs and mines.
Belgium's Liege province also reported sporadic detonations in the High Fens, a former battlefield where responders warned crews cannot be sure where explosives remain under burned ground.
Scientists and researchers linked the danger to a climate-charged fire season—wet January growth turned to tinder under heat, drought, low humidity and wind—making old ordnance newly unstable.
The threat extends beyond fires: Belgium handles more than 3,000 ordnance calls a year, and drought-hit rivers across Slovakia, Hungary and Germany have also exposed wartime bombs and mines.