Wildfire causes more than 100 explosions after hidden WWII shells blow up

| Live News reporter Published August 4, 2026 11:13am Updated August 4, 2026 11:19am Empty World War Two shells were discovered after wildfires tore through Le Porge in France (Picture: Getty) The devastating wildfires in the south of France have uncovered a hidden cache of 400 historic shells and munitions from World War Two, according to local authorities. More than 100 explosions were reportedly heard as flames tore through the village of Le Porge in the Gironde region, which destroyed over 180 homes. At first, residents believed that the sounds were caused by gas cylinders caught in the blaze. Now, however, Mayor Martial Zaninetti has revealed that the intense heat detonated buried wartime explosives that had been hidden underground for decades. Speaking to French news outlet France Info, Zaninetti said the explosions sounded ‘like war’. ‘There were ammunition depots buried in land within our municipality, but we didn’t know it, and they exploded,’ he told French media. A look at the discovery of WWII projectiles in the French town of Le Porge (Picture: Getty) Residents inspected the damage to their homes after the wildfire was put out (Picture: Reuters) He added that shells were flying ‘to the right, to the left’ and one even crashed through a house. Following the discovery, specialist bomb disposal teams moved into the area before residents could safely return home. Despite most evacuation orders now being lifted, parts of Le Porge remain off limits, including access to the coast, a nearby campsite and the village of La Jenny. The cache is said to have included both German and French munitions, including mortar rounds and anti-tank shells dating back to World War Two. The discovery comes after France’s vast wildfires near Bordeaux remained contained on Sunday, August 2, despite still burning. Bomb disposal experts were called into the area after the discovery of the shells (Picture: AFP) More than 100 explosions were reportedly heard as flames tore through the village (Picture: Reuters) In total, the Gironde wildfire burned for around 10 days before finally being brought under control, scorching roughly 42,000 hectares of land in south-west France, an area four times the size of Paris. Across France and neighbouring Spain, more than 330,000 people were forced to flee as wildfires swept through towns and countryside. In England, meanwhile, a huge wildfire ripped through an area of grassland the size of 20 football pitches, leaving streets up to a mile away covered in ash. Huge plumes of smoke were seen for miles across north London as fire engines tackled a grass fire near Waltham Abbey in Essex on Sunday. Arrow MORE: Family of boy thrown 100ft from Tate Modern issue update on his condition Arrow MORE: Mystery material hidden for 80 years found at Hiroshima atomic bomb site Arrow MORE: George and Amal Clooney forced to evacuate £6,000,000 home in France as wildfires spread News Updates Stay on top of the headlines with daily email updates.