Wildfires Igniting Forgotten Bombs | Science News

Science News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 9, 2026 · 1m

Wildfires in Europe are igniting buried WWII and Cold War bombs, turning smoldering flames into literal ticking time bombs. In Germany, firefighters had to coordinate with bomb squads in a national park, while in France, wildfires unearthed dozens of shells—some detonating and even damaging homes. Sustained heat destabilizes old casings, making dormant explosives far more volatile. This isn’t just a European problem: extreme heat has triggered explosions in Iraq too. As climate change fuels longer, hotter fires and land use shifts create more fuel, former military training grounds across…