Europe’s devastating wildfires have exposed a deadly legacy of the two world wars, with unexploded bombs and other military ordnance emerging from the ground as drought and fires affect areas that were once battlefields.

Axar.az reports, citing Euronews, that the discovery of unexploded wartime ammunition has been reported in several European countries, including France, Germany, Belgium and the Netherlands.

The extreme heat and dry conditions have caused vegetation and soil to deteriorate, bringing buried explosives closer to the surface and making them easier to detect.

Authorities have warned that the weapons, some of which have remained underground for more than a century, can still pose a serious danger.

The problem is particularly significant in areas that witnessed heavy fighting during World War I and World War II, where large quantities of ammunition were left behind.

Experts and emergency services are working to locate and safely remove the unexploded ordnance as wildfires continue to expose previously buried weapons.