| Tragedy in 1911: 101 Years Ago |
About 4:30 in the afternoon of Saturday, March 25, 1911, a fire devastated the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in New York City. The company was located on 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch building. Fire safety in the building was almost non-existent, and management often locked stairwell doors from the outside to keep workers from leaving early.
The fire started on the 8th floor and traveled quickly up one stairwell to the 9th floor, blocking escape by that route. The door to the other stairwell from the 9th floor was locked. There was no fire alarm in the building, thus no warning to the 9th floor until the fire itself arrived. Firefighters arrived quickly, but their ladders only reached to the 6th floor.
Workers trapped on the 9th floor crowded out onto a poorly constructed fire escape, which collapsed under the weight. 62 of those killed jumped or fell to their deaths on the streets over 100 feet below. Some jumped as firefighters held rescue nets to catch them, but the nets were inadequate to handle the impact and the first jumpers ripped right through the nets. A total of 146 workers, mostly young immigrant women, died as a result of the fire.
Public outrage led to the development of work safety regulations and legislation. The precursor to the American Society of Safety Engineers was formed as a result on October 14, 1911, and some say it was the beginning of the modern safety movement.
Safety Priority is a Participating Organization in the "Remember the Triangle Fire Coalition," which sponsored events and activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of this tragedy. See the Coalition's web page here.
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