A devastating wildfire in southern France has uncovered hundreds of buried World War Two shells, with residents describing a night of relentless explosions as emergency crews raced to contain the danger.
A massive wildfire in southern France has exposed around 400 World War Two shells and other unexploded munitions in the village of Le Porge, forcing authorities to launch emergency demining operations after a series of powerful blasts.
Residents initially believed exploding gas cylinders were causing the loud detonations, but officials later said the intense heat from the wildfire had triggered buried wartime ammunition.
More than 100 explosions were heard during the second night of the fire.
“It sounded like war,” Le Porge Mayor Martial Zaninetti told France Info, recalling the terrifying moments as shells exploded in different directions. “There were ammunition depots buried in land within our municipality, but we didn’t know it, and they exploded.”
He said some of the shells were thrown across the area, adding that “there was even one that went through a house.”
SEE ALSO: Washington wildfires force 60,000 people from homes as hundreds of buildings burn
French media reported that the cache included both German and French munitions, among them mortar rounds and anti-tank shells dating back to World War Two.
Although demining teams have made the area safer and most residents have now been allowed to return home, some locations remain closed to the public. Access to the ocean, a nearby campsite and the village of La Jenny is still restricted while specialists continue clearing the site.
The wildfire destroyed more than 180 homes in Le Porge and burned across the Gironde region for about 10 days before firefighters finally brought it under control. Images from the village showed families returning to search through the charred remains of their homes.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu praised emergency crews for their efforts.
“France has stood firm in the face of an unprecedented crisis,” he said, adding that the country had entered a new phase as evacuated residents gradually returned home.
Wildfires have swept across several parts of Europe over the past two weeks, particularly in France and Spain, forcing more than 330,000 people to evacuate. In France alone, about 42,000 hectares of land were burned, making it one of the country’s largest forest fires since the end of World War Two.
