The deadliest industrial disaster in New York City history, killing 146 workers and directly spurring U.S. factory safety legislation.
Key Facts
- Deaths
- 146 garment workers (123 women, 23 men)
- Date
- March 25, 1911 (Saturday)
- Building floors affected
- 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the Asch Building
- Victims' age range
- 14 to 23 years old
- Building constructed
- 1901
- Location
- 23–29 Washington Place, Greenwich Village, Manhattan
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory operated on the upper floors of the Asch Building with locked stairwell and exit doors—a standard practice at the time intended to prevent unauthorized breaks and theft. The building had no sprinkler system. These conditions trapped workers when fire broke out on March 25, 1911.
A fire ignited and spread rapidly through the 8th, 9th, and 10th floors of the factory. Unable to escape through locked exits, 146 workers—mostly young Italian and Jewish immigrant women—died from fire, smoke inhalation, or by jumping from the high windows to the street below.
The disaster prompted New York State to enact sweeping factory safety legislation mandating improved fire protections and working conditions. It also accelerated the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, strengthening organized labor's push against exploitative sweatshop conditions across the United States.
Human Cost
Each dot represents approximately 10,000 deaths. Total estimated: 146 (fire)