ELSENBORN, Belgium — Wildfires sweeping across parts of Europe this summer are exposing a deadly legacy of the continent’s two world wars, with heat-triggered explosions and newly uncovered bombs, shells and mines complicating firefighting operations in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands.
Some of the old munitions have detonated in the intense heat, while others have been uncovered as flames burn away vegetation and topsoil that had concealed them for decades. The danger has been particularly acute in former battlefields, where unexploded ordnance remains buried beneath forests, fields and other land now threatened by fire.
In Belgium, a bomb-disposal team was deployed to inspect a forest near Elsenborn after fires threatened an area that was the scene of fierce fighting during World War II. The High Fens region, which extends across the Belgian-German border, includes terrain associated with the Battle of the Bulge, the major German offensive on the Western Front during the winter of 1944-45.
Germany has faced a similar problem. A wildfire near the Belgian border burned about 300 hectares and prompted the evacuation of more than 2,000 people from Gey in western Germany. Explosions from unexploded World War II ordnance complicated firefighting operations, with military equipment brought in to help create access routes through difficult terrain.
The risk is not limited to Germany and Belgium. Explosions linked to old wartime munitions have also been reported in France and the Netherlands, according to the Associated Press. In the French region of Le Porge, firefighters and authorities recovered hundreds of pieces of wartime ammunition after a wildfire swept through the area. A separate report said about 400 shells and pieces of ammunition were recovered from an area where more than 180 homes were destroyed by fire.
The fires create two related hazards. Extreme heat can cause some unstable explosives to detonate, while the destruction of vegetation can expose munitions that might otherwise remain buried and undisturbed. Once exposed, the ordnance can become a direct hazard to firefighters, residents, forestry workers and others entering burned areas.
Belgium has long dealt with unexploded wartime ordnance. The country’s bomb-disposal service responds to thousands of calls each year and removes large quantities of remnants from the two world wars. The continuing discoveries demonstrate how deeply the conflicts remain embedded in parts of Europe’s landscape more than 80 years after World War II ended.
The problem also extends beyond areas affected by fire. Prolonged drought and extreme heat have lowered water levels in European rivers and lakes, exposing other wartime remnants. In recent weeks, falling water levels along the Danube have revealed World War II-era German military wrecks, some of which may still contain explosives.
Europe’s current wildfire season has added urgency to the problem. Extreme heat, prolonged dry conditions and strong winds have contributed to widespread fires across the continent, while authorities have warned of exceptionally high wildfire danger in several regions. Scientists and climate experts have linked the increasing frequency and intensity of extreme heat and fire conditions to a warming climate.
The persistence of unexploded ordnance is rooted in the enormous scale of fighting that took place across Europe during the 20th century. World War I left large areas of France, Belgium and neighboring countries heavily contaminated with artillery shells and other munitions. More unexploded weapons were added during World War II through bombing campaigns, ground combat, minefields and abandoned ammunition stocks.
The Battle of the Bulge is one important example of how wartime history remains directly connected to today’s firefighting challenges. Fought from December 1944 to January 1945, the battle was Germany’s last major offensive on the Western Front. Fighting extended across Belgium, Luxembourg and parts of Germany, leaving forests and rural areas containing unexploded ammunition.
The presence of wartime explosives has continued to affect European communities long after the wars ended. Bomb-disposal teams regularly respond to discoveries made during construction, agriculture, forestry work and infrastructure projects. In Germany, discoveries of unexploded bombs can still require the evacuation of thousands of residents while specialists determine whether the weapons can be safely defused or must be destroyed.
This summer’s fires are adding another pathway through which the buried remnants of war can return to the surface. What was once concealed beneath vegetation can suddenly become visible after a wildfire strips away the landscape, turning a disaster response into a hazardous ordnance operation.
For firefighters, the danger means that entering a burned forest or former battlefield cannot always be treated as a conventional wildfire operation. Authorities may have to identify suspected contaminated areas, restrict access and bring in specialist bomb-disposal personnel before crews can safely move through the terrain.
The combination of Europe’s wartime legacy and increasingly extreme environmental conditions illustrates how the consequences of past conflicts can persist into the present. As heat, drought and wildfires alter landscapes across the continent, places that have concealed unexploded weapons for generations can once again become active danger zones.
Paraluman P. Funtanilla
Paraluman P. Funtanilla is Tutubi News Magazine's Marketing Specialist and is a Contributing Editor. She finished her degree in Communication Arts in De La Salle Lipa. She has worked as a Digital Marketer for start-up businesses and small business spaces for the past two years. She has earned certificates from Coursera on Brand Management: Aligning Business Brand and Behavior and Viral Marketing and How to Craft Contagious Content. She also worked with Asia Express Romania TV Show.
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
- Paraluman P. Funtanilla
