One immediate consequence of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco was the outbreak of numerous fires which spread for three days throughout the area. However, the city was spared from being totally consumed by a massive inferno by the fact that some of the buildings were constructed by settlers during the Gold Rush out of redwood trees. While not absolutely fireproof, the redwood's low resin content and porous grain which soaks up moisture makes it much harder to burn than most woods. In all directions of the city, the fires were slowed down and finally conquered whenever they encountered buildings made out of this miraculous timber.
Notwithstanding the above, there was still substantial damage to the area, with approximately 80% of the buildings destroyed. Some of the structures were burned down deliberately by their owners whose property was damaged by the earthquake itself, as these particular persons had fire insurance but had failed to purchase earthquake coverage.
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