Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire

Still the worst factory fire in New York City history, the Triangle fire broke out shortly after 4:30 p.m. on March 25, 1911 in the cutting room on the eighth floor. The sweatshop employed over five hundred mostly Jewish immigrant women, and the owners had locked the doors to keep the workers at their sewing machines. A total of 146 died from fire, asphyxiation, trampling, and the collapse of the rear fire escape. Outcry over the fire and newly publicized working conditions led to several reforms, including granting the fire department authority to enforce stricter factory codes, and the creation of unions for workers in the garment district.

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