The Triangle T-Shirt Factory Fire was one of the worst fires since the late 19th century. It caused the deaths of over one hundred and forty people, most of whom died indirectly due to the fires and smoke. Although the fire was caused by an accident, the real culprit was negligence and mismanagement. The factory was located in the ten-story Asch Building in midtown Manhattan and was owned by Max Blanck and Isaac Harris. Both men were known for using insurance fraud to raise money by setting fire to their building to collect insurance money, which was a common practice at the time. The building itself was ten stories tall and had four elevators to transport workers. Unfortunately, only one of these elevators was fully functional and could carry a maximum of about twelve people per shuttle. The building also had two staircases leading down, but one of which was always closed during working hours to prevent theft by workers and the other had a door that only opened inwards. Although the facility had a fire escape, the ladder itself was poorly constructed and could only support a few workers at a time. Since the owners relied on insurance fraud to make money, they refused to install sprinkler systems and other basic security measures to keep the building safe as this would compromise their fraud plans. This would come back to haunt the workers on that fateful day. The fire started in a waste bin. The floor managers immediately tried to put it out with the installed fire hose. However, the pipe itself was rotten and the main pipe rusted due to neglect and lack of maintenance. Due to the lack of sprinklers and other means to slow or stop the fire, it spread rapidly thanks to the abundant fuel from clothing produced on site. People began to panic and ran towards the elevators and stairs. Many managed to escape from the internal staircase while many others were trapped in the locked staircase. The single full-service elevator was able to make about four trips before breaking down and blocking the exit. At that point, workers began jumping from the building to their deaths on the sidewalk. When firefighters arrived, they found a scene of total chaos. With people jumping off the building, it was difficult for them to set up their equipment to start fighting the fire.