Why New York's bolt-on fire escapes lasted a century before the ban (practical.engineering)
Practical Engineering traces the fire escape from a cost shortcut to a ban for new construction in 1968, with the 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist fire in between, where an exterior escape buckled under the crowd.
Commenters argue over whether to miss them: one says everything else about fire safety got better, another would still risk a rusty escape over a blocked stair.
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