European wildfires expose, detonate buried bombs and mines from past wars

Key Points:

• Wildfires across Europe this summer have exposed dangerous unexploded bombs and mines from World War I and II, posing risks to firefighting crews and nearby residents, with some munitions detonating due to intense heat.
• Countries including France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands have reported blasts and deployed bomb-disposal teams to areas threatened by flames, especially near historic battle sites such as Belgium's High Fens and the Limburg province.
• Climate change, with heavy rains followed by drought, heat, and strong winds, has created ideal conditions for wildfires that unearth and reactivate buried explosives previously kept stable by steady weather patterns.
• The discovery of unexploded ordnance is common in Europe, with thousands of calls annually for disposal; however, wildfires and drought are increasingly revealing these hazards in unpredictable ways, complicating emergency responses.
• Experts warn that climate change is causing a resurgence of war legacies, as extreme weather events expose hidden dangers from past conflicts, requiring ongoing vigilance and adaptation by authorities and communities.