Last Survivor of 1906 San Francisco Earthquake Dead at 109

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — The last person who was alive during the San Francisco earthquake and fire of 1906 has died.

William A. "Bill" Del Monte died at a retirement home in nearby Marin County on Monday. He was 11 days shy of his 110th birthday.

His niece, Janette Barroca, confirmed his death of natural causes She said he'd been doing "great for 109 years old."

Barroca said Del Monte was just three months old when the quake struck, forcing his family into the streets. They escaped in a horse-drawn buck board as fires burned on both sides of the street.

More than 1,000 people were killed in the 1906 earthquake and fires. According to the U.S. Geological Survey, measurements of the quake have ranged from magnitude 7.7 to 8.3.