It's not only Wal-Mart: Indeed, he said that when smoke set off the fire alarm at one supermarket he used to clean in the Bronx, firefighters had to saw through a large lock to get in. Interviews with janitors, state officials and local organizers who work with immigrants indicate that the experiences of these men and many others are part of a hidden threat in dozens of stores across the city, where concerns about theft trump worries about the fate of workers. To prevent workers from stealing merchandise, they say, many stores padlock their rear fire exits, even as the front doors are sealed behind steel gates. Investigators with the New York attorney general's office say they have found evidence that the practice is not uncommon, and will recommend that the New York City Fire Department look at the Pioneer store as well as a C-Town store in Williamsburg. The Fire Department said it was illegal to lock in workers with no avenue for escape, and a spokesman said the department would examine the allegations. If anyone was wondering what the mindset was that made the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire possible, I thhink we found our model.