A handout photo made available by the Fire and Rescue Departmental Service 33 shows firefighters crew battling a fire near Le Porge, France, on Wednesday as a wildfire rages through the forest in Gironde. File Photo by Benoit Vega/SDIS33/EPA
Aug. 4 (UPI) -- Destructive wildfires in southern France have uncovered a cache of more than 400 shells and munitions from World War II, local officials said.
The munitions caused more than 100 explosions to ring out in the village of Le Porge on the second night of the fire, Mayor Martial Zaninetti told France Info, as cited by the BBC. He compared it to "the sound of war."
He said the ammunition had been buried underground within the village and residents didn't know about it until they began exploding.
"A bomb disposal operation was carried out today with Civil Protection specialists, recovering more than 400 shells and munitions," local officials said in a statement carried by CNN.
