The Triangle Fire The Triangle fire that claimed the lives of 146 people, most of them immigrant women and girls, caused an outcry against unsafe working conditions in factories. Firefighters arrived at the scene, but their ladders could only reach the 6th floor of the ten-story building, while the hose could only reach the 7th floor. Workers were trapped inside because the owners had locked the fire escape exit doors to prevent theft, so workers jumped to their deaths. The government could’ve prevented the Triangle fire earlier if they listened to the workers’ plea for a safety working environment. Union organization tried to address the employees’ working conditions but wasn’t recognized. The fire was a catalyst for change in New York regarding …show more content…
The fire started on the eighth floor, and a relative of the owner managed to alert the tenth floor, but not the ninth floor so they were the last to know about the fire. According to Argersinger, “A relative of the owner managed to alert the tenth floor about before she escaped. But she could not call the ninth floor, so no one warned the 250 workers on the ninth floor” (Argersinger 17). If the government implement a fire alarm or sprinkler systems in the building, the fire might have not …show more content…
It recounts the screams of burning workers, while onlookers watched as they jump to their death. The firemen used safety nets to save the workers jumping to their death, but the nets broke. The firemen used hose, but it could only reach the 6th floor. Firemen tried to use ladders to save the girls but it could only reach the 7th floor: “They saw the last ladder lifted and pushed into place. They saw that it reached only the seventh floor” (The New York World, 75). It showed how unprepared the firemen were. This changed the role of the government in regulation of workplace issues by preparing the firemen to be better, and using adequate hoses and