A 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Southern California residents amid their Fourth of July celebrations has caused fires, damaged bui...
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Southern California residents amid their Fourth of July celebrations has caused fires, damaged buildings and sparked rock slides.
According to the US Geological Survey (USGS), the earthquake was reported near Searles Valley, a sparsely populated portion of the Mojave Desert.
The USGS said the quake started 11 miles from Ridgecrest, California, around 10.33am. The quake struck at a depth of 5.4 miles in the vast desert region, lasting multiple seconds.
Fire crews are responding to at least 24 medical and fire incidents in Ridgecrest.
The Kern County Fire Department said it has sent search and rescue teams to the town of 28,000 people.
In a tweet, the department said it was working 'nearly 2 dozens incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires in and around the city of Ridgecrest'.
A 6.4 magnitude earthquake that rattled Southern California residents amid their Fourth of July celebrations has caused fires, damaged buildings and sparked rock slides
The Kern County Fire Department said it was working 'nearly 2 dozens incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires (pictured) in and around the city of Ridgecrest'
A video from Ridgecrest showed a large fire in the backyard of a home. Firefighters were seen battling the blaze
This firefighter is seen fully extinguishing the blaze from the home in Ridgecrest
This image shows another angle of the firefighters battling the blaze in Ridgecrest
The earthquake caused rock slides as well as large cracks across roads, officials said
A video from Ridgecrest showed a large fire in the backyard of a home.
Firefighters were seen battling the blaze.
In Kern County, the earthquake prompted evacuations at Ridgecrest Regional Hospital.
According to poweroutage.us, there were some 5,851 customers without power in Kern County.
Temperatures in the area were expected to climb to nearly 100 degrees Fahrenheit on Thursday, with extremely low humidity, the Weather Channel said.
Officials in San Bernardino County said the quake caused water mains to break, downed power lines, cracked buildings and caused rock slides on roads.
No injuries or fires were reported in San Bernardino County.
People from Las Vegas to the Pacific Coast reported feeling a rolling motion that shook shower doors and made hanging dining room light sway.
At least four large aftershocks have been recorded, measuring 4.7, 3.5, 3.8 and 4.2 magnitude, officials said.
A Ridgecrest resident shared video of her father's liquor store that was damaged by the earthquake
Hundreds of broken bottles (pictured) of spirits were seen all over the floor of the store as the family surveyed the damage
The USGS estimates that the 'impact should be relatively localized'.
A Ridgecrest resident shared video of her father's liquor store that was damaged by the earthquake.
Hundreds of broken bottles of spirits were seen all over the floor of the store as the family surveyed the damage.
It was felt in central Los Angeles as a long, rolling quake, making buildings rock back and forth for at least several seconds.
Several residents shared videos of their homes shaking during the quake.
One video shows the moment the quake even created waves in a resident's swimming pool.
Several residents shared videos of their homes shaking during the quake. One video shows the moment the quake even created waves in a resident's swimming pool
There were no immediate reports of injuries in the Los Angeles area, which is about 125 miles southwest of Ridgecrest.
According to Diane Ruggiero, general manager of the Hampton Inn and Suites Ridgecrest, said the hotel has significant damage.
The Los Angeles Airport shared that all of their 'runways have been inspected with no reported damage to the airfield or the Sepulveda tunnel. Operations remain normal'.
In a tweet, the Los Angeles Fire Department said 'all 106 fire stations are out conducting a strategic survey of their districts to determine if any damage exists'.
'At this time, the LAPD has not received any reports of damage or calls for service within the City of Los Angeles related to the #earthquake,' the LA Police Department tweeted.
Veteran seismologist Lucy Jones (pictured) said the earthquake was the strongest to hit Southern California in 20 years. She says the previous large quake was a 7.1 on that struck in the area on October 16, 1999
According to European quake agency, EMSC, the quake was felt in an area inhabited by some 20 million people. This graphic shows the areas where the quake was felt
The earthquake struck about seven miles southwest of Searles Valley, California (pictured)
Laguna Beach police shared on social media that 'there is NO tsunami danger to the California coastline' following the quake.
According to European quake agency, EMSC, the quake was felt in an area inhabited by some 20 million people.
Ashleigh Chandler, a helicopter rescue EMT at Fort Irwin, California, said the quake happened as she was getting ready for a July 4th party.
'I was just in the living room getting everything ready, we start to feel the shaking, so then I look up and then the wine bottles start rattling and I thought, "They're going to fall."'
'My sister was in the house and my dog, so we just got everyone outside and then it ended. It was like 15, 20 seconds, maybe. It was pretty good shaking, so I'm out of breath.
'Everyone's OK.'
The earthquake got the attention of President Donald Trump who tweeted: 'Been fully briefed on earthquake in Southern California. All seems to be very much under control!'
Several celebrities also tweeted about the quake. Actress Gabrielle Union tweeted that the she was using the bathroom at the time of the earthquake
Now the idiots in California will be putting seat belts on the booze shelves so no bottles jump to their deaths!!!!
ReplyDeleteJudging by your comments, your bottles are always empty.
ReplyDeleteBig shake up on 4th July? Coincidence?
ReplyDelete