On March 25, 1911, a fire at the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory in NYC killed 146 workers, mainly women.

On March 25, 1911, the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire erupted in the Asch Building, New York City. The fire broke out on the eighth floor during late afternoon working hours. Due to inadequate safety measures and locked exit doors, the garment workers—primarily young female immigrants—were trapped. As the blaze intensified, desperate workers jumped from the building's windows to escape the flames, leading to 146 tragic deaths. The incident exposed the perilous working conditions in the industrial sector and became a landmark moment for labor reform. It emphasized the urgent need for occupational safety regulations and catalyzed a national movement towards improving labor laws. The tragedy prompted widespread public outrage and was pivotal in the establishment of new legislation focused on women's labor rights, workplace safety standards, and the protection of immigrant workers, shaping future generations of labor laws.

Images

A cartoon referring to the Triangle fire depicts a factory owner, his coat bedecked with the dollar signs, holding a door closed while workers shut inside struggle to escape amid flames and smoke. (5279750340)

A newspaper photograph of an internal staircase in the Asch Building after the Triangle fire (5279144863)

Illustration depicting a wrapped corpse being lowered by rope from the Asch Building following the Triangle fire (5279145839)

AFL-CIO: Triangle Shirtwaist Fire