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Wildfires sweeping across Europe this summer have unearthed a dangerous legacy: unexploded bombs and mines from World War I and II. The intense heat from the blazes threatens to ignite these buried munitions, posing a significant risk to firefighters and bomb-disposal teams.

Explosions have been reported in several countries, including France, Belgium, Germany, and the Netherlands. In one instance, a bomb-disposal team was dispatched to a forest in the Limburg province of the Netherlands, near a site of fierce fighting in 1944, which was threatened by flames. The fires not only ignite old weapons but also burn away vegetation that hides them, making their discovery more likely.

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Climate change is now doing the work of unburying and reactivating what was previously stable.

Scholars like Sarah Njeri, a peace and conflict scholar at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, point to climate change as a key factor amplifying this threat. "Climate change is now doing the work of unburying and reactivating what was previously stable," Njeri stated. Historically, steady temperatures and predictable rainfall kept these buried weapons dormant, but changing climate patterns are altering this reality.

This year's wildfire season was particularly severe, fueled by heavy rains in January that led to dense vegetation growth. This growth then became highly flammable kindling under the summer's intense heat, drought conditions, low humidity, and strong winds. The fires have advanced over known former battlefields, including areas like the High Fens in Belgium, a region heavily fought over during World War II. Local historian Bernard Collard noted the persistent danger, stating, "When you go into a forest like this, you are not sure where the explosives are."

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When you go into a forest like this, you are not sure where the explosives are.