from a victim

Dear editor

I am a victim of the triangle shirtwaist fire. It was the most terrifying day of my life. It was a another day at the factory, we didn’t expect anything that day. Many lives were lost in the tragedy. I am one of those many who made it out alive. I remember it like it was just yesterday. The fire started spreading in the factory. Men were trying to put out the fire with the water hose but they didn’t have any water. Everyone started running towards the emergency exits and the elevator. One of the emergency exit doors was locked and the other had collapsed. I made it out in the elevator with other women and girls. Many of these women who didn’t make it were so desperate to get out the burning building they jumped out the window from the eighth floor. The ladder’s from the fire trucks weren’t long enough to reach the eighth floor. To prevent this from happening again buildings need to have more unlocked emergency exit doors and water hose that work, Fire trucks need to have longer ladders.

Rosalinda Elizarraras