4 – San Francisco Earthquake, April 1906
Natural causes allied with man-made fuels are often the causes of the largest and deadliest fires. They came together in 1906 to create one of the most devastating natural disasters in US history in San Francisco. Though the Earthquake of April 18, 1906 is widely known as a seismic event, the largest part of the destruction was actually caused by the firestorm that followed it rather than the quake itself.
The city of San Francisco had long been threatened by earthquakes. With a location right on the San Andreas Fault, the shock was not unexpected, though the force of it was something that no San Franciscan had felt before. Though it predated the now-accepted Richter scale by around 30 years, it is estimated to have been around 8, with buildings shaking for nearly a minute and tremors felt as far south as LA and as far north as Portland. The centre of the quake was offshore and immediately triggered a tsunami. On the land, buildings were reduced to rubble and more than 3000 people killed, though the exact number remains unknown as one of the most affected areas was Chinatown, where population numbers were not taken.
The extent of the destruction caused by the earthquake and the extent caused by the subsequent fire is still hotly debated. Many residents were quick to claim that the fire had destroyed their properties as insurers were not liable for earthquake damage, while some were reported to have burned their own homes in order to cash in on the insurance, which required a fire to be claimed. The firefighters sent out to deal with the blaze were also held responsible, as they attempted to create firebreaks by felling damaged buildings with dynamite, often creating further fires. Regardless of the causes of the inferno, the results were clear: 80% of the city was totalled, with a cleanup bill that stood at $9 billion in modern terms.
Like Chicago, San Francisco would rise again, but in their case, it would take far longer. City leaders were reticent to blame the earthquake as they feared that it would dissuade vital business from investing in the area, but they did not hesitate from recreating the wooden houses that had contributed to the blaze. An economic upsurge followed the rebuilding, particularly in upstate California, Oregon and Washington, where lumber mills were running at excess capacity to supply San Francisco with the raw materials.
H.G Wells, who had just landed in America for the first time, commented on the reaction in New York, where he was: “There is no doubt anywhere that San Francisco can be rebuilt, larger, better, and soon. Just as there would be none at all if all this New York that has so obsessed me with its limitless bigness was itself a blazing ruin. I believe these people would more than half like the situation.” A few short years later, New Yorkers too would feel the devastation of fire in their city.