1906 San Francisco Earthquake

The impact of the fires is not to be underestimated. It is fairly well accepted that more people and structures perished because of the fires than the quake itself.

Historical commentary exists that suggest that city leaders at the time focused more of fires than on the quake itself, for political and economic reasons. The thought was that modernizing fire fighting equipment, techniques and planning was something you could do something about, whereas you can't prevent earthquakes. If they could address the fire question, it has been claimed, they could entice people and commerce back to the city much sooner than if they emphasized the quake damage, versus the fire damages.

While this theory may have some merit, it is important to realize that the emphasis on the fires was probably quite real and for very good reasons, especially as we look to what we have learned since that time.

For instance, there were over 17,000 documented natural gas leaks in the Northridge earthquake of January 17, 1994. However, because of the fortunate timing of that quake (4:31 on a holiday morning), almost every neighborhood had between them at least one strong arm and one good gas shut-off wrench. As a group, then, they had the ability to prevent some of the fires that might otherwise have occurred.

However, put that same scenario on a daytime quake, particularly during a 100 degree, Santa Ana wind day, when people are mostly away from their neighborhoods at work, school and other activities, and you can probably see the potential for absolute catastrophe. Even one fire that is not prevented could spell immense problems, as fire-fighting capability will be hampered by blocked roads, broken water lines, and demand for services much beyond the resources of any fire fighting department, no matter how skilled or supplied.

Since ceiling temperatures can reach 1,000 degrees in about a five-minute time span, fire spread from structure to structure is virtually inevitable in those conditions.

We also know that in the Kobe Japan quake, one year to the day after the Northridge event, the greater number of fatalities (out of the nearly 7,000 who perished) were people trapped under fallen furnishings, who then burned to death in the fires that followed.

It is currently projected that there is a 62% probablility of a magnitude 6.7 or greater earthquake in that area within the next 26 years. But now the density of population, structures, and infrastructure present much more substantial risks.

In the meantime, call us for help with your planning. You most likely do NOT want to wake up one day to discover that your life, as you know it, has vanished in a cloud of smoke.