Monarch Underwear Company fire facts for kids
The Monarch Underwear Company fire was a terrible event that happened in Manhattan, New York City. It took place on March 19, 1958, at 623 Broadway. This fire in a large building, called a loft, sadly killed 24 people. Another 15 people were hurt. Six of them were injured when they jumped from the building. The fire started around 4:30 p.m. and burned for about 90 minutes. It began on the third floor in a processing oven at the S.T.S. Textile Company. Many of the victims were found on the fourth floor, where the Monarch Underwear Company had its workrooms.
The Monarch Underwear Company Fire
The building where the fire happened was a few blocks from Washington Place. This area was also near where the famous Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire happened in 1911. That earlier fire was even more tragic, killing 145 people. Both fires showed how important fire safety is in workplaces.
What Happened After the Fire?
The day after the fire, on March 20, 1958, Robert F. Wagner Jr., who was the Mayor of New York City at the time, spoke out. He asked for new laws to help prevent similar fires from happening again.
Mayor Wagner and the New York City Fire Commissioner, Edward F. Cavanaugh, both said that the building did not break any existing fire or building rules. This meant the current rules were not strong enough.
New Safety Rules Proposed
Mayor Wagner urged the New York City Council to quickly create new safety rules. Some of his ideas included:
- Installing automatic fire sprinkling systems. These systems spray water automatically when they detect a fire.
- Building fireproof walls inside long rooms. These walls would help stop fires from spreading quickly.
- Adding full ceilings in loft buildings. This would also help to contain fires.
- Making it a rule that every worker must practice a fire drill. Fire drills teach people how to safely leave a building during a fire.
These suggestions were made to make sure that workplaces in New York City would be much safer for everyone.
