Europe's wildfires are igniting forgotten WWII and Cold War bombs
Europe is full of buried explosives left over from 20th century wars, and the continent’s wildfires are now big enough, hot enough and last long enough to reach them
Europe is grappling with the danger of forgotten explosives from World War II and the Cold War, which are being ignited by wildfires. A wildfire in Germany's Mürritz National Park in July required bomb disposal teams to work alongside firefighters due to the presence of Cold War-era munitions in the forest floor. Similarly, a wildfire in France's Gironde region exposed a cache of Second World War shells, with at least 75 recovered and some detonating during the fire.
The mayor of the affected area had no knowledge of the munitions' presence. Europe is littered with buried explosives from 20th-century conflicts, and wildfires are now hot enough, long-lasting enough, and intense enough to reach these remnants. While buried munitions are usually undisturbed, the extreme heat and pressure from wildfires can ignite or detonate them.
This has become particularly problematic in Europe, where forests, moorland, and heath that were once military training grounds are now prone to burning. Climate change is exacerbating the wildfire crisis in Europe, with consecutive heatwaves and low rainfall creating extreme fire weather conditions. Additionally, rural abandonment has allowed vegetation to accumulate, creating fuel loads that feed extreme wildfires.
Written by urgent.news from Scientific American's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — it may contain errors, so check the original before relying on it.
