Editing Flémalle (section)

=== Contemporary Era ===
{{See also|World War II in Belgium}}
The last alum mine in Awirs, specifically that of Aigremont, closed in 1816, with the last one in the municipality also closing in the 19th century. Still in this locality, coal mining operations began, leading to a prosperous industrial period. The last coal mine in Awirs closed in 1928. This coal industry covered almost the entire territory. The last coal mine in Flémalle closed in 1955.

In 1938, the Ivoz-Ramet barrage bridge was inaugurated. It was dynamited two years later in 1940 to slow the advance of the ''[[Wehrmacht]]''. It was rebuilt during [[World War II]].

During World War II, like [[Liège]], Flémalle was [[Strategic bombing|bombed]]. A tunnel in Flémalle is reported to have served as a refuge for the population.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bombardements de fin 1944 et début 1945 et Flémalle|url=http://kiminvati.com/paysdemeuse/Pages/ZDIV7HCP3-1944.php# |website=kiminvati.com |access-date=2021-03-02}}.</ref>

==== World War I ====
{{See also|Belgium in World War I|Atlas V (boat)}}
In August 1914, [[Belgium]] was invaded by the [[German Army]]; the first city affected was [[Liège]] and its region. Despite the numerous fortifications surrounding the city, including Fort of Flémalle, the [[Fortified Position of Liège|fortified belt]] was put out of service. The [[Netherlands]], barely ten kilometers from Liège, became a destination for the region's inhabitants to flee the war, as the Dutch were not involved in the conflict.

It was due to this proximity to the Dutch border and specifically the city of [[Maastricht]] that the [[Atlas V (boat)|''Atlas V'']], an armored tugboat, left the city on the night of 3 to 4 January 1917 with 107 people on board. The expedition to the Netherlands was tumultuous as the [[Germans]] began to chase the boat near Argenteau.
Among the four crew members, two were from Flémalle, named Jean Job and Raoul Longueville, and another Flémalle resident among the passengers, Joseph Fagard. The captain was Jules Hentjens.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flémalle during World War I (1914–1918): The Atlas V Expedition on the Night of January 3–4, 1917|url=http://kiminvati.com/paysdemeuse/Pages/ZDIV7HCP2a-1914AtlasV.php |website=kiminvati.com |access-date=2021-03-02}}.</ref>

==== The Water Crossing Accident ====
On 23 January 1918, around 5:30&nbsp;pm, workers from the Cedauville factory, located on the right bank of the [[Meuse (river)|Meuse]], residing on the left bank, in [[Jemeppe-sur-Meuse|Jemeppe]] and [[Flémalle-Haute]], used a ferry that could hold a maximum of 60 people. There were 80 people rushing onto the ferry. The ferry operator had to make two trips, and it was during this second crossing that the accident occurred.<ref group="B">Historical Commission of Flémalle, ''La Meuse, les passages d'eau. – La catastrophe de 1918 -'', Les Chroniques, January 2010.</ref>

The hook guiding the ferryboat on the cable broke. Panicked, the workers moved to the front of the boat, causing it to capsize and overturn. Of the 37 passengers, only 4 survived.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Flémalle during World War I (1914–1918): The Water Crossing Accident of January 23, 1918|url=http://kiminvati.com/paysdemeuse/Pages/ZDIV7HCP2a-1914passage.php |website=kiminvati.com |access-date=2021-03-02}}.</ref>

==== December 1930 Atmospheric Accident ====
{{See also|1930 Meuse Valley fog}}
This atmospheric accident is one of the most severe of the time in Europe and still serves as an example of the need for [[Air pollution|pollution]] protection. This disaster caused the death of more than 60 people, while around 300 others were injured or fell ill in the following days.<ref name=":7">{{Cite web |first=Tondeur |last=Maxime |title=ROUGEs FLAMMEs: VALLEE DE LA MEUSE, VALLEE DE LA MORT: LE BROUILLARD D'ENGIS (DEC.1930) |url=https://rouges-flammes.blogspot.com/2014/04/vallee-de-la-meuse-vallee-de-la-mort-le.html |website=ROUGEs FLAMMEs |date=23 April 2014 |access-date=2021-03-01}}.</ref> The accident occurred in [[Engis]], a neighboring municipality to Flémalle, to the west. It is now considered the most polluted municipality in [[Belgium]], but since 1930, measures have been taken to prevent another such accident.

It was only in 1968 that these measures were implemented with the installation of over 200 atmospheric monitoring stations, controlling levels of [[sulfur dioxide]] and black particles.<ref name=":7" />

From 1 to 5 December 1930, a [[fog]] stagnated over the [[Meuse (river)|Meuse valley]], stretching from [[Jemeppe-sur-Meuse|Jemeppe]] to [[Huy]]. This accident partly occurred due to the [[Geomorphology|morphology]] of the valley. Indeed, over one to two kilometers wide, the valley's height is 60 to 80 meters, while the top of the valley, that is, the plateaus on the right and left banks, reaches more than 200 meters in some places. During this first week of December, atmospheric pressure was extremely high, around 1030 [[Bar (unit)|mbar]], and it was cold (0&nbsp;°C during the day and as low as −10&nbsp;°C at night<ref name=":7" />) with a weak east wind, ranging from one to three km/h. This is referred to as a [[Temperature inversion]].

The inversion caused the coldest air mass to be unable to pass above the warmer one, trapping the fog in the valley and preventing the cold air mass from escaping. The chimneys of the 27 large factories in the valley,<ref>{{Cite web |title=20th Century in Engis, Clermont, Hermalle-sous-Huy |url=https://www.hermalle-sous-huy.be/fr/Histoire-XXe.html |website=hermalle-sous-huy.be |access-date=2021-03-01}}.</ref> not exceeding 70 meters, meant that the pollution could not escape the valley, creating a [[vicious cycle]]. This event is comparable to the [[Great Smog of London|Great Smog of London in 1952]].

The fog dissipated on 5 and 6 December,<ref>{{Cite web |lang=en |title=Welcome to the Poisoned Valley |url=https://medium.com/@alexdimp/welcome-to-the-poisoned-valley-e8862e5dd3b2 |website=Le Troisième Baobab |date=20 March 2019 |access-date=2021-03-01}}.</ref> lasting less than a week, but the damage was done. The sick were affected by severe [[respiratory failure]], as well as cough, heart failure, [[nausea]], vomiting, and [[Tears|tearing]].<ref name=":7" /> In addition to the human toll, there was an even heavier impact on livestock, with a pig farmer slaughtering his pigs one by one.<ref group="B">{{Cite web |lang=fr |first=Isabelle |last=Roussel |title=Toxic Fogs, Meuse Valley, 1930, counter-investigation By Alexis Zimmer, sensitive areas, 2016, 264 p. |url=http://lodel.irevues.inist.fr/pollution-atmospherique/index.php?id=6446 |website=irevues.inist.fr |date=27 February 2018 |access-date=2021-03-01}}.</ref>

The human losses were distributed across the municipalities of [[Hermalle-sous-Huy]], [[Engis]], La Maillieu, Flémalle-Grande, [[Flémalle-Haute]], [[Vierset-Barse|Vierset]], Ivoz-Ramet, [[Seraing]], [[Jemeppe-sur-Meuse|Jemeppe]], and [[Ougrée]]. Of the 60 deaths, 20 were in the former municipalities of Flémalle{{Efn|See the IHOES analysis No.&nbsp;125 of 13 May 2014, by Alexis Zimmer, providing a table of deaths by pre-merger municipalities}}.

==== Railway Accident of 1 December 1946 ====
The railway line from Liège to Namur runs along the back of the village of Chokier, below the promontory where the castle is located. At the time, the castle had a terrace overlooking the Meuse Valley. On 1 December 1946, a rock face collapsed, taking with it the western part of the castle terrace, which fell 80 meters onto the railway tracks below. Fortunately, this accident did not result in any casualties. Just two minutes earlier, a train carrying 400 workers had passed by, while another train was delayed. The accident primarily caused economic damage as the rocks blocked the railway from 1 December 1946, to 15 January 1947. To accommodate travelers, buses were continuously stationed at the Flémalle-Haute station to provide connections.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Catastrophe ferroviaire du 1 décembre 1946 à Chokier|url=http://kiminvati.com/paysdemeuse/Pages/ZDIV7AC10.php# |website=kiminvati.com |access-date=2021-03-03}}.</ref>

==== Aviation Accident of December 1989 ====
In December 1989, Pieter Demuynck, a lieutenant [[Pilot (aviation)|pilot]], was on a mission aboard a [[Dassault Mirage 4000|Mirage]]. A malfunction on the aircraft forced the lieutenant to keep his Mirage in flight to avoid residential areas, and he was flying over the [[Awirs]] at the time. He ejected a few moments later but did not survive. However, he managed to avoid a major accident. The plane crashed outside the village, causing only minor damage. A [[commemorative plaque]] is located at the site where the lieutenant died.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web |language=fr |first=La |last=Libre.be |title=Les Awirs ou la qualité d'un village |url=https://www.lalibre.be/regions/liege/les-awirs-ou-la-qualite-d-un-village-51b89807e4b0de6db9b16c8a |website=LaLibre.be |date=28 January 2008 |access-date=2021-05-08}}.</ref>