A wildfire in the village of Le Porge in southern France recently uncovered a dangerous cache of 400 World War Two explosives. The fire, which burned for 10 days in the Gironde region, triggered over 100 explosions as the heat reached buried mortar and anti-tank shells. Local residents initially mistook the blasts for exploding gas cylinders before authorities confirmed the true nature of the ordnance.
Mayor Martial Zaninetti described the scene as sounding like war. One shell reportedly penetrated a local house, highlighting the unpredictable risk posed by historic munitions hidden beneath the soil. While demining crews have secured much of the area, the mayor confirmed that some zones remain off-limits to the public for safety reasons.
This incident adds to the scale of the damage caused by the wildfires, which destroyed more than 180 homes in Le Porge alone. Across the region, 42,000 hectares of land have burned, marking the area's largest forest fire event since the second world war. Thousands of residents across France and Spain faced evacuation during these events.
French officials and emergency responders now focus on the recovery phase as families return to inspect the remains of their properties. Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu acknowledged the severity of the crisis, noting that the battle in Gironde has moved into a new stage as residents transition back to their homes. Demining teams continue to work in specific sections of the municipality to prevent further incidents.
Despite the return of many evacuees, access remains restricted in areas near the ocean and specific campsites. Authorities are managing the situation while assessing the full impact of both the wildfire destruction and the unexploded ordnance discovered in the aftermath.