March 25 1911
"The rushing, the shouting, and the leaping flames sent panic ripping through them." |
The start of the fire is believed to be because of a cigarette bud in a cutters scrap basket. This flame then spread rapidly among the scraps on the floor and turned into a blaze because of the draft coming in from the open door.
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CBS news reports on the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire.
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"Perhaps the cutter had been sneaking a smoke while his assistants prepared the table. Or perhaps it was another cutter...Or it was a cutter's assistant...the fire marshal later concluded that someone tossed a cigarette or match into Abramovitz's scrap bin before it was completely extinguished." |
In a half an hour, 146 lives were lost and the Triangle Shirtwaist Company was ruined. As police inspected the floors, they found bodies behind a locked door.
Results of the fire:
Captions from Cornell University