San Francisco Is Burning The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires

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 quakethe fires that raged across the city for days and claimed the lives of thousands morewas 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 firesfrom 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[Smiths] message is the one that matters most. "San Francisco Chronicle" A finely woven human story of tragedy, death, heroism and blunderThis book is an eye-opener in many ways, and a good read, to boot. The Associated PressSmith, Dennis is the author of 'San Francisco Is Burning The Untold Story of the 1906 Earthquake and Fires', published 2006 under ISBN 9780452287594 and ISBN 0452287596.