France wildfires reveal hundreds of WW2 shells in village

What the report says

Wildfires in south-western France have uncovered a cache of about 400 historic shells and munitions in the village of Le Porge, according to local authorities reported by BBC World News. Officials said the blasts heard during the fire may have been old World War Two-era explosives triggered by the heat, rather than gas cylinders as first suspected. Local fire commander and municipal authorities said the shells included German and French munitions, among them mortar and anti-tank shells.

Le Porge’s mayor, Martial Zaninetti, said more than 100 explosions were heard on the second night of the fire, describing the noise as war-like. He said buried ammunition depots had not been known about before the fire and that one shell reportedly passed through a house. While demining teams have allowed most residents to return, some areas remain closed, including access to the ocean, a campsite and the village of La Jenny.

The fire has destroyed more than 180 homes in the area, and the broader Gironde wildfire has now been brought under control after burning for about 10 days. BBC reported that the discovery came amid a wider wave of wildfires across Europe, with France among the worst affected. As background, unexploded ordnance is still sometimes found in parts of Europe that saw intense fighting during World War Two, and heat or ground disturbance can expose it.