What caused the fires?
So, what did cause the fifty fires (and counting) that followed the quake? Broken gas lines and busted water mains. The wooden water pipes would often cross the San Andreas fault, called the Tomales-Portala Fault at the time of the quake, and they burst. No water could get to the fire hydrants.
Broken gas lines and sparks from power lines made fires all over town. Without water, firemen could not fight the fires. They used brooms, rugs, clothing, blankets, and sometimes even their bare hands.
Broken gas lines and sparks from power lines made fires all over town. Without water, firemen could not fight the fires. They used brooms, rugs, clothing, blankets, and sometimes even their bare hands.