European wildfires expose, detonate buried bombs and mines from past wars
The wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a potentially deadly threat lurking beneath the blackened landscape: rusty bombs and mines from World War I and II that threaten crews responding to the flames.
TL;DR
- Wildfires across Europe are exposing and detonating dormant bombs and mines from World War I and II.
- Intense heat from the fires can cause buried munitions to explode, creating a danger for fire crews.
- Climate change, with its contribution to extreme weather events like heavy rains followed by drought and heat, is exacerbating the situation.
- Explosions have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
- Drought conditions have also caused rivers and lakes to recede, revealing submerged munitions in countries like Slovakia, Hungary, and Germany.
- Unexploded ordnance discovery is not new, but the wildfire season is increasing the risk and unpredictability.
- Belgium's Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Destruction Service handles thousands of calls annually to dispose of war remnants.
- Farmers in Ypres refer to the annual plowing as 'the iron harvest' due to the amount of war remnants unearthed.