Wildfires expose — and detonate — buried bombs and mines from WWI and WWII
Wildfires and drought are exposing buried World War I and II ordnance, and Belgium’s disposal service handles more than 3,000 explosive calls a year, officials said.
- Wildfires burning across Europe this summer have exposed a deadly threat lurking beneath the landscape: unexploded bombs and mines from World War I and II threatening crews in France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands.
- "Climate change is now doing the work of unburying and reactivating what was previously stable," said Sarah Njeri, a scholar at London's School of Oriental and African Studies, citing reduced soil stability from drought and heat.
- In Liege, Gov. Herve Jamar reported "a few sporadic detonations" recently heard, while Belgium's Explosive Ordnance Disposal and Destruction Service responds to over 3,000 calls and disposes of 200 to 250 tons of munitions annually.
- Receding water levels have also revealed weapons, including a WWII-era bomb at Budapest's Margaret Bridge and naval mines in the Danube River that authorities in Slovakia buried for controlled demolition.
- "The legacy of war keeps creeping up," warned researcher Christina Greene, noting that in Ypres, farmers call annual soil tilling the "iron harvest" because it frequently turns up dangerous war remnants.
106 Articles
106 Articles
Wildfires expose, detonate buried bombs, mines from WWI and WWII
ELSENBORN, Belgium — 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.
The bombs and ammunition exposed endanger the fire fighting teams.
Wildfires in Europe have caused bombs and mines left behind from the world wars to explode
(Brussels=Yonhap News) Correspondent Hyun Yun-kyung = Europe is facing an unexpected new... due to fierce wildfires that swept across the continent, creating a synergy with the heatwave and drought that struck Europe this summer.
The intense heat that hits the forests of France, Germany and Belgium this summer exposed weapons buried from the fighting.The high temperatures caused the explosion of many bombs that until now remained inactive.
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