Wildfires Across Europe Reveal Buried Bombs And Mines Left From Two World Wars

Wildfires sweeping across parts of Europe this summer have exposed a dangerous legacy of the two world wars, with buried bombs and mines emerging as a threat to firefighters and emergency crews battling the flames. Some of the decades-old weapons have exploded in the intense heat, while others have been uncovered as fires consume vegetation that had concealed unexploded ordnance for generations. Explosions linked to old wartime munitions have been reported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In the Limburg province of the Netherlands, a bomb-disposal team was deployed to inspect a forest threatened by wildfire near an area that saw intense fighting in 1944.

The presence of unexploded weapons has complicated firefighting and emergency operations, forcing authorities to consider the possibility of hidden explosives beneath areas affected by flames. The danger is particularly evident in Belgium's High Fens, a dense peat-bog forest in the province of Liège. During World War II, bombs, mines and booby traps were scattered across parts of the landscape. Decades later, many of these weapons remain buried underground. The combination of wildfire, extreme heat and the removal of vegetation can expose ordnance that has remained hidden since the conflicts, creating additional risks for crews working in affected areas.

The problem illustrates how the environmental effects of climate change can interact with unresolved remnants of past conflicts. Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, said Europe's previous climate conditions had helped keep much of the buried ordnance dormant. More stable temperatures and predictable rainfall meant that the weapons were less likely to be exposed or disturbed. Increasingly extreme weather and wildfire conditions are changing that situation. Fires can potentially trigger old munitions through intense heat, while the destruction of scrub and brush removes the natural cover that has concealed weapons for decades.

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Once exposed, unexploded bombs and mines can pose a danger not only to firefighters but also to residents, forestry workers and others entering areas affected by wildfires. Authorities may therefore need to combine wildfire response with specialist bomb-disposal operations when historic battlefields or known wartime sites are threatened. This year's wildfire conditions have been particularly severe in several parts of Europe. Heavy rainfall in January encouraged substantial vegetation growth, creating large amounts of combustible material. When summer temperatures rose, the vegetation became fuel for rapidly spreading fires.

Drought, low humidity and strong winds further increased the potential for intense wildfire activity, according to a study released last month by the World Weather Attribution group. The combination of extreme heat, dry conditions and dense vegetation has therefore created a new pathway for Europe's wartime legacy to resurface. Fires that initially appear to be an environmental emergency can quickly become a hazardous ordnance problem when they reach areas contaminated by unexploded bombs and mines.

The explosions reported across several countries highlight the continuing risks posed by weapons left behind long after the wars that produced them. Experts say the developments are also a warning that Europe's historical and environmental challenges can no longer be considered separately. As climate conditions become more volatile, buried wartime munitions that remained relatively stable for decades could increasingly be exposed or disturbed by fires, drought and changing landscapes. For emergency services, that means wildfire preparedness may increasingly have to account for hazards created by conflicts that ended generations ago.

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