Famous garment factory fire is recalled on 95th anniversary
KRON 4 Bay AreaÂ
NEW YORK Nearly a century after a famous fire that killed 146 garment workers, a crowd of public officials, labor leaders and schoolchildren gathered on the spot for an annual ceremony.
The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire took place in New York City 95 years ago tomorrow.
Most of the victims were immigrant women. Many plunged to their deaths after finding the fire doors locked. Some fell off an overcrowded fire escape.
The fire spurred a raft of worker safety laws. “In many ways,” said State Labor Commissioner Linda Angello (an-JEH’-loh), “that was the day the New York State Department of Labor was born.”
A Fire Department officer rang a silver bell for each of the victims as their names were read.
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