Disasters, Devastation and Destruction A scene of San Francisco after the earthquake and fire, on April 18, 1906 RealVideo (streaming) MPEG Format (32.2 MB) Help With Video Credits San Francisco Earthquake Imagine being awakened early in the morning by the ground shaking so hard that you're thrown out of bed and across the room--if you're even lucky enough to be alive. On April 18, 1906, at 5:12 a.m., an earthquake of 8.3 magnitude hit San Francisco, devastating much of the city. By this time, San Francisco was already a booming city with many closely spaced wooden homes and unreinforced brick buildings. The moment the earthquake started, buildings collapsed, water mains broke, and a huge fire broke out that spread rapidly across the city. In this film, you can see how the city looked after the earthquake and fire. page 1 of 3 Library Of Congress | Legal Notices | Privacy | Site Map | Contact Us VIDEO CREDIT: "San Francisco earthquake and fire, April 18, 1906 [Production company unknown]. Part 1 of 4" April 18, 1906. Before and After the Great Earthquake and Fire: Early Films of San Francisco, 1897-1916, Library of Congress.