118 years later, San Francisco remembers earthquake and fire

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – “The California earthquake of April 18, 1906 ranks as one of the most significant earthquakes of all time,” according to the U.S. Geological Survey . “Today, its importance comes more from the wealth of scientific knowledge derived from it than from its sheer size.”

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Nearly 120 years after the quake and subsequent fire, people in the Bay Area still commemorate its anniversary. This Thursday, residents and city leaders gathered at Lotta’s Fountain to mark the occasion.

KCBS Radio's Mike DeWald reported from the landmark at Market and Kearney. The 149-year-old fountain served as a meeting place for survivors of the quake and has become a familiar spot to remember the calamity.

“When you think about what happened in 1906 and you think about everything that has happened since, we come back every time,” said San Francisco Police Chief Bill Scott Thursday.

With an epicenter near San Francisco, the 1906 quake was felt from Oregon to Southern California. Together, the quake and fire nearly totally destroyed the city, per the California Department of Conservation . Since then, the Bay Area has continued to weather through its share of nature-related challenges, from wildfires to floods .

San Francisco Supervisor (and acting mayor while Mayor London Breed is abroad) Joel Engardio told KCBS Radio: “We’ve always seen, revolutions of change could be natural disaster, could be economic boom or bust. So, we need to be prepared for all of it.”

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