DESC: In April, 1906 a mammoth earthquake shook the city of San Francisco, leveling whole neighborhoods. It was followed by three days of fires that raged through the city to devastating effect. Dennis Smith, a former firefighter, provides a history of the event that focuses on the firestorms, telling of their effects on the city and its people. Smith makes history come alive, crediting those heroes who responded to the emergency, while assigning blame to corrupt city officials and unsafe construction practices. Smith is also the author of a book on a more contemporary tragedy, REPORT FROM GROUND ZERO.