The social impact of the fire was heightened by the thousands of New Yorkers who witnessed the horror, including Frances Perkins - who became the Secretary of Labor under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Photo source: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University

Fire-fighters could not extinguish the flames or reach the trapped workers, many of whom fell to their deaths from the windows attempting to escape the blaze. Photo source: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University

The factory floor after the fire. Long work tables and back-to-back chairs became deadly obstacles to workers trying to escape when fire broke out. Photo source: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University

The Asch Building's single fire escape collapsed under the weight of fleeing workers and the heat of the fire. Photo source: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University

Mourners from the union that represented the Triangle employees gathered 10 days after the fire to remember the dead and call for workplace safety reforms. Photo source: International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union Archives, Kheel Center, Cornell University