Causes Of The Triangle Waist Factory Fire Of 1911

On March 15th, 1911 a deadly fire started on the northwest corner of Greene Street and Washington Place, just east of Washington Square Park, in the Greenwich Village area of New York City. Working at the Triangle Waist Factory were young children and young adults. People say the fire started due to someone dropping a lit cigarette in a pile of flammable shirt waists. When the fire began, they all scrambled to the nearest exit or fire escape. Sadly, only few managed to escape due to the weight the fire escape could handle. When the girls ran to the door they found it locked from the outside which prevented them from leaving because the girls would back up into the fire, getting burned. Others ran to the 8th or 9th floors but the fire traveled