Devastating wildfires sweeping through southern France have uncovered a hidden stockpile of 400 Second World War shells and munitions beneath the village of Le Porge in the Gironde region, local authorities have confirmed.
The buried munitions, which had lain undiscovered for decades, was exposed after intense heat from the blazes triggered a series of violent detonations.
The local fire commander told French media that blasts initially attributed to exploding gas cylinders were likely caused by historic wartime explosives igniting in the extreme temperatures.
The discovery has adde to an already catastrophic situation in which more than 180 homes were burned to the ground.
Mayor Martial Zaninetti recounted hearing upwards of 100 blasts on the second night of the fire, telling France Info the experience was akin to "the sound of war".
"There were ammunition depots buried in land within our municipality, but we didn't know it, and they exploded," Mr Zaninetti told the French outlet.
The mayor described projectiles flying in all directions, with shells travelling "to the right, to the left" and "even one that went through a house".
What had initially been assumed to be gas canisters bursting in the flames turned out to be long-forgotten wartime ordnance, detonating unpredictably as temperatures soared.
The wildfires in France have unearthed a huge ache of World War Two in the rural village Le Porge
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The cache comprised both German and French ordnance, including mortar shells and anti-tank rounds, according to French media reports.
Demining teams have since moved in, enabling the majority of residents to return to their properties. However, several zones remain inaccessible.
In an Instagram post on Monday, Mr Zaninetti confirmed that the coastline, a local campsite, and the nearby settlement of La Jenny were still closed off to the public.
Images from Le Porge on Monday captured families sifting through the charred ruins of their properties.
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The wildfires have devastated many areas of France
|REUTERS
In total, the fires destroyed more than 180 houses across the area.
The forest fire that ravaged the Gironde area burned for approximately ten days before being brought under control.
Across south-west France, some 42,000 hectares were consumed by flames, placing the disaster among the worst since the Second World War.
French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu praised the emergency response on Monday, declaring that "France has stood firm in the face of an unprecedented crisis".
He noted that the Gironde region had entered a "new phase", with evacuated residents progressively making their way home.
The blazes formed part of a broader wildfire emergency across Europe, with fires raging through France and Spain over a fortnight and prompting the evacuation of more than 330,000 people.