The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire on March 25, 1911, was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of NYC. The fire spread through the building's upper three stories. Most workers on the 8th floor and managers on the top floor escaped. Dozens of workers on the 9th floor perished in the blaze. Piles of fabric lay everywhere, and oil from sewing machines dripped on the floor. The fire broke out in a rag bin under a table. Most exits were chain locked, the fire escape collapsed, elevators became impenetrable with heat, and the only accessible exit became blocked by panicked victims. The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers who were mostly recent Jewish and Italian immigrant women. The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union, which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers. Photograph captioned: The families of the victims search the morgue for loved ones who died in the triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire.