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came through the San Francisco fire History: The fires that swept over San Francisco in the days following the 1906 earthquake destroyed everything in their path. The heat was intense enough to melt metal, ceramic glazes, and the asphalt that paved the streets. This charred teacup is one indication of the widespread damage the fires caused. The Day the Earth Shook History: The earthquake of April 18, 1906 was followed by a series of fires that lasted four days. Since the quake ruptured the city's water mains, the fire department was without water to fight the fires. The Palace Hotel burned when its own inside cistern and well ran out of water to fight the flames. The fires demolished most of the downtown area, from Townsend Street on the south up to Chestnut, and from the waterfront to Van Ness Avenue. The heat was so intense that some of the streets melted. Over fifty fires started as a result of the quake. One of the most destructive, called the "ham and eggs" fire, was started by a woman cooking breakfast on a stove with a damaged flue. But, gradually, fire fighters were able to contain the fires where isolated hydrants were working, or along the wharves where fireboats pulled water from the bay.