Europe's devastating wildfires unveil deadly new threat - buried bombs from WWI and WWII

While fires across Europe are exposing a potentially deadly threat beneath the landscape, unexploded bombs and mines left from World Wars I and II. Some weapons have exploded in intense heat, with blasts imported in France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands. In Belgium, fires have spread across former battlefields, including the High Fence, where emergency services have been adapting to the risk of buried munitions. Beyond the immediate threat to firefighters, Belgium's Explosive Ordnance Disposal Service responds to more than 3,000 calls every year and disposes of up to 250 tons of wartime munitions. Climate change is increasing the risk, researchers say, as extreme heat and drought can trigger explosives or expose weapons hidden underground. Drought has also revealed weapons in rivers and lakes. In Slovakia, falling water exposed two naval mines, while bombs emerged from receding waters in Hungary and Germany.