The earth shook on April 18, 1906, in the morning. As a result of the vibrations, many buildings collapsed, and leaking gas installations started a fire in the city that lasted several days. Since the earthquake cut off the city's water supply, the raging element was dealt with using dynamite, which was used to blow up buildings, thus creating firebreaks. Several thousand people lost their lives as a result of the disaster. More than half of the 400.000 inhabitants lost their homes and ¾ of the city turned into ruins.
After the earthquake, the city was quickly rebuilt. The idea of redesigning the street layout was abandoned and construction was carried out according to old urbanization plans. The newly constructed buildings were larger, taller, and more impressive than the previous ones.
