On March 25, 1911, a fire, which broke out on the top floors of the 10-story Asch Building in lower Manhattan, New York, killed 146 of the 500 employees of the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in one of the worst industrial disasters in the nation's history. These factory workers, mostly young female immigrants from Europe working long hours for low wages, died because of inadequate safety precautions and lack of fire escapes. As a result of the Triangle fire, the International Ladies' Garment Workers Union (ILGWU), the union to which some of the Triangle workers belonged, stepped up its organizing efforts and fought to improve working conditions for garment workers. Also a public outcry prompted the New York State Legislature to appoint a commission to investigate the causes of the fire. The commission's investigation, and union organizing, eventually led to the introduction of fire-prevention legislation, factory inspections, liability insurance, and better working conditions for all workers