VIDEO: A look back at the quake that changed San Francisco forever

SAN FRANCISCO (WISH) — Tuesday marks the 117th anniversary of the Great San Francisco Earthquake.

At 5:13 a.m. on April 18, 1906, a violent earthquake struck San Fransisco, which was then a bustling city of more than 400,000 people.

The quake caused widespread destruction and destroyed the city’s water mains, leaving firefighters helpless in the face of massive, devastating fires that broke out across the city.

Click on the video above to learn more.

A split on the north end of East Street from the earthquake, San Francisco, California, 1906. East St is now the Embarcadero. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)
A split on the north end of East Street from the earthquake, San Francisco, California, 1906. East St is now the Embarcadero. (Photo by Underwood Archives/Getty Images)