Wildfires Expose - and Detonate - Buried Bombs From WWI and WWII

Wildfires sweeping through parts of Europe this summer have unearthed a hidden and deadly legacy, unexploded bombs and mines from World War I and World War II. As flames consumed forests and fields, the intense heat triggered blasts from long-buried ordnance, posing new dangers to firefighters and emergency workers. Reports of explosions emerged from France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands, highlighting how climate-driven fires are awakening a wartime past that continues to haunt the land. The fires, fueled by record-breaking summer heat and erratic weather patterns linked to climate change, have ignited concerns among experts and local authorities. In France, a massive wildfire near Bordeaux revealed a cache of suspected World War II-era ammunition. Meanwhile, in the eastern Belgian province of Liège, officials noted “a few sporadic detonations” during firefighting efforts. Emergency services adapted their protocols to account for the presence of unexploded weapons, though no personnel were directly endangered. Local media shared images of firefighters carefully handling rusted bombs, underscoring the precarious situation. The affected areas include regions steeped in military history, such as the High Fens, a vast peat-bog forest straddling the Belgium-Germany border. This landscape, once a battleground during World War II, still holds remnants of the war. Booby traps, bombs, and mines were scattered across the terrain by both sides, leaving behind a lethal inheritance. Historian Bernard Collard, who oversees the Truschbaum Museum near the border, recalls that in the first four years following Germany’s defeat in 1945, six civilians lost their lives to unexploded ordnance. His family, including his father, dealt with the risks firsthand, with one instance involving the controlled detonation of a found bomb in a quarry. The current fire in the High Fens is particularly alarming, as it spreads over ground that was once a bloody theater of war. The Battle of the Bulge, one of the most brutal campaigns of World War II, took place nearby. The fire is dangerously close to other historically significant sites, including Elsenborn Ridge and the Hurtgen Forest, where fighting raged for 88 days and claimed nearly 61,000 lives. These locations, now largely reclaimed by nature, remain vulnerable to discovery due to the combination of dry conditions and shifting landscapes. Collard, who regularly uses a metal detector to survey these battle-scarred areas, has uncovered a variety of items, from mortar shells and machine guns to personal effects and even a human skeleton. He emphasizes the unpredictability of the terrain, noting that one never knows what might lie beneath the surface. “You never know what you might come across, and you shouldn’t take it lightly,” he says, standing amid a field that once bore witness to violence. Experts warn that the risk posed by unexploded ordnance is heightened during wildfires. Heat can reactivate explosives, making the situation even more volatile. Jonas Tepe, a spokesperson for North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany, notes the increased danger. The Belgian Ministry of Defense reports receiving weekly requests for assistance in disarming explosives, though it does not classify the region as a major hotbed of unexploded ordnance compared to other parts of the country. Despite this, the ongoing fires continue to expose new threats, forcing authorities to remain vigilant in the face of a growing environmental and historical challenge.