[banjoQ]

Reread original post and watched the film again. Thinking about the use of horses in the city. Many structures built at the turn of the century in the Mission, Outer Mission, Noe Valley included haylofts and carridge houses. Some still exist. I travel these areas and know where they are. At this time the Mission was the outskirts and had farmland and dairyland. Certainly was a slower pace of life.
After the Quake, horse drawn water tanks were brought out to this area to fill the tanks from the many wells. Then taken back downtown to fight the fires. It's no wonder the fire spread so fast.