Europe's record-breaking heat sparks wildfires, drought in France, Greece and the UK

A massive forest fire near Bordeaux, France, has exposed World War II explosives in the village of Le Porge, where all inhabitants returned home on Monday after days of demining operations. Approximately 400 shells and fragments of ammunition were extracted from the area, where over 180 residences were engulfed by flames, according to local officials.

Fire commander Thomas Mimiague reported that explosions were initially mistaken for gas cylinder detonations but may have stemmed from these shells, as stated by BBC News. Over 100 blasts were heard on the second night of the fire, prompting Mayor Martial Zaninetti to tell French news outlet France Info that the blasts resembled the sound of war.

Mayor Zaninetti revealed that the munitions were buried in the ground within the municipality, unbeknownst to residents, and one explosion even penetrated a house. The munitions, comprising German and French origins, primarily consist of mortar shells and anti-tank high-explosive shells. Mimiague suggested that the presence of these munitions might be due to their abandonment.

Numerous fires have erupted in France since the onset of summer, notably in the Bordeaux region, where the most severe blaze since 1949 has been extinguished after consuming more than 99,000 acres over a span of ten days, without reaching the region's prominent vineyards. War remnants have surfaced in France before; last year, trains were halted near Paris following the discovery of a dormant World War II bomb near tracks servicing the capital's bustling Gare du Nord station.

In 2012, around 1,000 residents in Marseille were evacuated to facilitate the removal of a 1-ton German bomb from the region.