World War II shells have been unearthed in the village of Le Porge near Bordeaux following a massive forest fire, and residents were allowed to return on Monday after several days of demining operations, according to local authorities.
Officials said roughly 400 shells and fragments of ammunition were collected in areas where the blaze destroyed more than 180 homes. Fire commander Thomas Mimiague said explosions heard during the fire, initially thought to be gas cylinders, may have been the buried munitions detonating.
More than 100 blasts were reported on the second night of the fire, according to broadcast reports. Mayor Martial Zaninetti told French media the noise resembled “the sound of war,” adding that previously unknown ammunition depots had been buried on municipal land and detonated during the blaze. He said one projectile even pierced a house.
Authorities said the cache included both German and French munitions, mainly mortar rounds along with some high-explosive anti-tank shells. Mimiague said the origin remains unclear and suggested the stockpiles were likely abandoned at the end of the conflict.
World War II shells complicate wildfire response
The wildfire was among numerous blazes to strike France this summer, particularly in the Bordeaux region. Officials said the most serious fire there since 1949 has been contained after burning more than 99,000 acres over about 10 days. It did not reach the region’s major wine estates.
War-era ordnance occasionally resurfaces in France. Last year, trains were halted around Paris after an unexploded World War II bomb was found near tracks serving Gare du Nord.
In 2012, about 1,000 people were evacuated in Marseille so specialists could remove a 1-ton German bomb. Similar discoveries have prompted exhumations and forensic work in other cases, including the remains of an unidentified soldier in Alaska.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. For information on managing unexploded ordnance, French authorities direct the public to the national civil security agency, Ministère de l’Intérieur.