The Triangle Factory Fire

 Sherrow, Victoria. The Triangle Factory Fire. 1995. 64p. ISBN 9781-56294-572-6. Available at 363.37 SHE on the library shelves.

Prior to the collapse of the Twin Towers in New York City on September 11, 2001, the Triangle Fire was the largest workplace mass casualty. On March 25, 1911, a fire ravaged the Triangle Shirtwaist Company factory located in the Asch building in the Lower East Side. The factory occupied the top 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of this building. There was one exterior staircase, and it was in poor condition. There were internal staircases, but the doors were locked so workers could not come in late or leave early. Hallways to be used in an emergency were stuffed with boxes and fabric scrap. When the fire started, it took no time to spread to the entire factory.

Ladders were not tall enough to reach the 8th floor. The women and girls who worked there, poor immigrants for the most part, were thus condemned. Many of them jumped, hoping to survive a deadly fall. Others were burned to death inside the building. By the time the fire was extinguished, 146 people had died. 

Public reaction was swift. New laws centered on workers' rights were imposed on companies. A new fire code mandated sprinklers, emergency exits, and fire drills. Unions grew stronger. Child labor laws prevented children from working in factories. The fire was tragic, but it led to several influential reforms that ended up improving the health and the safety of American workers, and of the American public.

For a deeper look in the lives of the people who worked at the Triangle Shirtwaist Company and the consequences of the Triangle fire, take a look at Flesh & Blood So Cheap: The Triangle Fire and Its Legacy.