<P> The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City on March 25, 1911 was the deadliest industrial disaster in the history of the city, and one of the deadliest in US history . The fire caused the deaths of 146 garment workers--123 women and 23 men--who died from the fire, smoke inhalation, or falling or jumping to their deaths . Most of the victims were recent Italian and Jewish immigrant women aged 14 to 23; of the victims whose ages are known, the oldest victim was 43 - year - old Providenza Panno, and the youngest were 14 - year - olds Kate Leone and "Sara" Rosaria Maltese . </P> <P> The factory was located on the eighth, ninth and tenth floors of the Asch Building, at 23--29 Washington Place in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of Manhattan . The 1901 building still stands today and is known as the Brown Building . It is part of and owned by New York University . </P> <P> Because the owners had locked the doors to the stairwells and exits--a then - common practice to prevent workers from taking unauthorized breaks and to reduce theft--many of the workers who could not escape from the burning building jumped from the high windows . The fire led to legislation requiring improved factory safety standards and helped spur the growth of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU), which fought for better working conditions for sweatshop workers . </P> <P> The building has been designated a National Historic Landmark and a New York City landmark . </P>

Why were the doors to the exits and stairwells locked in this factory