The Fire
What was the first sign of trouble inside the factory?
Smoke pouring from beneath a cutting table.
How did some workers on the eighth floor escape?
They escaped using the elevators and stairways.
How long after the alarm was pulled did Engine Company 72 arrive?
Less than two minutes.
What does the word “inferno” most likely mean as it is used in paragraph 11?
A large, extremely intense fire.
How many Triangle employees died in the fire?
146.
What caused the fire to spread quickly after the flames began?
Burning paper patterns and fabric scraps caught fire and spread the flames.
Why were the elevators eventually unable to continue carrying workers?
The heat bent the elevator tracks and put the elevators out of action.
What did firefighters use to try to catch people jumping from the building?
Life nets.
Why does the author include the quotation from Ida Willensky about trying to open the stairway door?
It gives a survivor's firsthand perspective and helps readers understand the panic and confusion during the escape.
What happened to the Asch Building's structure after the fire?
The structure remained largely undamaged; its walls and floors were still in good shape.
Why was the workers' attempt to put out the fire unsuccessful?
The hose did not work because it had not been connected to the standpipe.
Why did the workers have difficulty getting through the stairway door?
The crowd created a pileup, making it difficult for anyone to open the door.
Why couldn't firefighters use their hoses to safely rescue the people standing at the windows?
The force of the water could have knocked the people backward into the flames.
Why does the author include the possible thoughts of workers who were deciding whether to jump?
It helps readers understand the impossible choices workers faced when both staying and jumping meant almost certain death.
What central idea is supported by the workers' failed attempts to escape and the firefighters' failed rescue attempts?
In a disaster, dangerous conditions can make survival difficult, even as people desperately try to escape or to help others.
How does the author show how quickly the situation changed from a small problem to a disaster?
The passage moves from workers noticing smoke and trying to stop it to flames spreading out of control within seconds.
How was the experience of workers on the eighth floor different from the experience of workers on the ninth floor?
Everyone who escaped from the eighth floor through the Washington Place doors survived, while workers on the ninth floor encountered a locked door and faced deadly conditions
Why were the life nets unsuccessful?
People were falling with such force that they bounced off or tore through the nets.
Why does the author include specific measurements, such as the ninety-five-foot fall and the eleven-thousand-pound impact force?
The details help readers understand the physical danger and why the rescue equipment could not save those who jumped.
How does the author develop the idea that the workers faced impossible circumstances?
The author describes locked doors, failed elevators, darkness, spreading flames, and rescue equipment that could not reach the workers or save them safely.
Why does the author explain several possible causes of the fire but state that “we will never know for sure” what started it?
It emphasizes the uncertainty surrounding the disaster while shifting the focus toward what happened afterward and why so many workers were unable to escape.
How does the difference between the eighth- and ninth-floor escapes deepen the reader's understanding of the disaster?
It shows that survival depended partly on circumstances beyond the workers' control, such as access to exits, making the disaster more than simply a matter of individual choices.
How does the author's description of the firefighters' rescue attempts affect the reader's understanding of the disaster?
It shows that firefighters made determined efforts to save people, but the conditions were so extreme that even their equipment and efforts could not prevent the loss of life.
At the end of the excerpt, the author contrasts the building being “fireproof” with the people inside it not being protected. Why is this contrast important?
It reveals that the building's structural safety did not protect the workers, underscoring the human cost of the disaster and the limits of focusing solely on the structure.
How does the author develop the central idea that the Triangle Fire was more than simply a fire?
The author describes not only how the fire spread but also the workers' escape attempts, the barriers they encountered, the firefighters' unsuccessful rescue efforts, and the final death toll. Together, these details show the disaster as a human tragedy shaped by dangerous conditions and failures that prevented workers from escaping.