Locked Door, Falling Girls: The Triangle Fire That Shook New York

Locked Door, Falling Girls: The Triangle Fire That Shook New York

Fear and outrage: 146 people were dead or dying within five minutes of a scrap bin fire on March 25, 1911, and a door that could have saved dozens was locked from the outside - the man with the key had already left. How did a supposedly "fireproof" building, owned by present landlords, turn into a deathtrap with 62 people falling from windows and a $20 fine two years later?

In this episode, we tell what unfolded at the Asch Building that afternoon, who worked in the factory, and the chain of decisions and policies that shaped the disaster - from accumulated fabric cuttings to locked exits - and ask what responsibility and justice looked like afterward.

Date: March 25, 1911 Location: Asch Building, Greenwich Village, Lower Manhattan Event: Triangle Waist Company fire Deaths: 146 (including 62 who fell from windows) Owners: Max Blanck and Isaac Harris

- Fire began at 4:40 PM in a scrap bin holding two months of fabric cuttings in the northeast corner of the eighth floor. - Within five minutes of ignition, 146 people were dead or dying; 62 of them had fallen from windows. - The man who held the key to a door that could have saved dozens had already left the building; the door was locked from the outside. - The Asch Building was built in 1901, ten stories tall, and described by owners as "fireproof" because of steel and concrete construction. - Two years after the fire, the owners were fined $20 following a trial in which responsible men walked out of a courtroom free.

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