Editorial Review:
Killing hundreds and leaving a city in ruins, the San Francisco earthquake of 1906 stands as one of the greatest natural disasters in American history. But the aftermath of the quake—the fires that raged across the city for days and claimed the lives of thousands more—was an all too human disaster whose story has remained largely untold. Until now. Employing the same vivid prose and storytelling skill that made his Report from Ground Zero a national bestseller, Dennis Smith reconstructs those harrowing days from the perspective of the people who lived through them. Smith draws on hundreds of individual accounts and official documents to unearth the true story of the fires—from the corrupt officials who left the city woefully unprepared for disaster, to the militia officers who enforced martial law with deadly force, to the individual heroes who battled the blaze and saved untold lives. San Francisco Is Burning is a thrilling disaster tale that brings a lost chapter of history back to riveting life. BACKCOVER: “Riveting.”
—The Washington Post
“So riveting it is enraging…[Smith’s] message is the one that matters most.”
—San Francisco Chronicle
“A finely woven human story of tragedy, death, heroism and blunder…This book is an eye-opener in many ways, and a good read, to boot.”
—The Associated Press
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Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
San Francisco is Burning The untold Story  2008-10-31
What an incrediable book. I have read it twice. Once for the story and again for all the history. Even if you aren't from "The City" you will will be completely surprized and amazed at how this tradgedy unfolded
Where was his editor?  2008-10-15
As others before me have stated, this is a well-written, engaging book, but dear me. His editor was out to lunch and his fact checker was just plain out of it. I cite four examples on pp. 30-32. Reference to "Thomas Sutter" of Sutter's Mill, when a fourth-grader could tell you the gentleman's name: John (Johann) Sutter. Next graf: Collis "B." Huntington should, of course, be Collis "P." (for Potter) Huntington. An extra "c" is added to the San Francisco pioneer family Fleishhacker. But the most bizarre is Smith's claim that Mark Hopkins had "nothing to do with San Francisco's famous Mark Hopkins Hotel." While the hotel was built after Hopkins' death, it was built upon the land that Hopkins' mansion had formerly occupied and was named for Mark Hopkins. It's a shame a book this well-researched was sabotaged in this way.
Lessons from 100 Years Ago 2007-11-30
Dennis Smith's well-researched account of the 1906 San Francisco earthquake and ensuing fires delivers a level of fine detail on a disaster that is all too relevant 100 years later. It is a story of predictable disaster, inadequate preparation, government incompetence and corruption, fear, power, and greed.
But, most of all, it is a story of heroism. Smith, a former New York City firefighter, effectively tells the story of the San Francisco earthquake and fires from street level. He tells us about homeowners - who, despite being ordered out of the city at the point of a gun - tried to save their property (and how, if they'd been allowed to do so, perhaps could have prevented many of the fires from spreading). He tells us about the San Francisco firefighters who left their own homes and families to work for days on end, without rest, relying on an inadequate, low-pressure, underfunded and damaged water system. He tells us about Navy lieutenant Frederick N. Freeman, who, through his own initiative, took heroic action to aid the firefighting and rescue efforts.
Among those who died as a result of the earthquake was San Francisco's most experienced fire chief, Dennis Sullivan. He plunged 40 feet through an unseen hole in his apartment above the firehouse in the minutes after the quake struck, landing in the basement next to a boiler spewing scalding water and steam. He died four days later.
The fires burned for three days. More than 28,000 structures were lost as a result of the twin catastrophes. More than 3,000 people died and 225,000 were left homeless. Property damage has been estimated at $400 million in 1906 dollars.
Although Smith's book is made choppy by an over-reliance on chapter breaks - there are 95 chapters in 277 pages - "San Francisco Is Burning" reminds us, sadly, that we have learned too little in the last hundred years about disaster prevention, control or relief. I recommend it to every first responder, every disaster management official, and to every citizen.
My ancestors experience 2007-11-14
My grandparents,their first child (who died of meningitis two months after the quake at age 13 month) great grand parents 2 aunts,and a grand uncle lived in SF during the earthquake, this book gives me some background of what they saw and lived through. My mother was born in 1907 and lived in SF for two years. She just died Sept 6th, 2007 age 100. Anyone wanting to know what it was like day to day would enjoy the pages of this book.
Terrific 2007-05-25
Firefighter Smith (FDNY, Ret) is one of my personal heroes and he has not let me down with this book. I now feel I have an intimate and personal connection with the tragedy of 1906. I was unable to put this book down. FF Smith's unique ability to weave the facts among the personal accounts of real people draw you in and grip you with their honesty, bravery and desperation.
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