Largest earthquake in decades shakes Southern California
SEARLES VALLEY, Calif. (KTVU) - A magnitude 6.4 earthquake was felt throughout Southern California, shaking up residents celebrating the Fourth of July.
The strong earthquake rattled a large part of Southern California and parts of Nevada There were no immediate reports of damage or injuries but a swarm of aftershocks were reported.
Governor Newsom tweeted he has approved an emergency proclamation for the the earthquake and its aftershocks.
The Kern County Fire Department announced that it was responding to nearly two dozen incidents ranging from medical assistance to structure fires in and around the city of Ridgecrest, a town of about 28,000 people and the closest major population center to the epicenter was Ridgecrest.
The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California. It is the strongest quake to hit the region in 20 years.
The United State Geological Survey initially said it measured at a 6.6 magnitude.
Southland police and fire agencies quickly took to social media, reporting no injuries from the shaking, but some possible damage and one structure fire.
The Los Angeles County Fire Department is sending a battalion chief and a task force to Ridgecrest, near Bakersfield, to assist the Kern County Fire Department in earthquake recovery efforts, according to fire authorities.
The Los Angeles Fire Department reported that "all 106 fire stations are out conducting a strategic survey of their districts to determine if any damage exists. Once this process is complete, an overall assessment of the impact in the City of Los Angeles will be compiled".
Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti said at 1:30 p.m. that the city was "in great shape," with no significant damage to report.
Officials at LAX said all runways were inspected and no damage was found. Ride operations were briefly suspended at Six Flags Magic Mountain and Hurricane Harbor in Santa Clarita, but the theme parks tweeted shortly after the quake that operations had resumed as normal.
Officials with the San Bernardino County Fire Department tweeted that they were conducting an assessment of the region and "no injuries reported, however buildings and roads have sustained varying degrees of damage."
The Los Angeles County Fire Department's Division 8, which encompasses Diamond Bar, Hacienda Heights, Industry, Rowland Heights, La Puente, Walnut, Pomona and Valinda, reported that a structure fire possibly ignited from a gas line break due to the earthquake.
It was the strongest quake to be felt in Southern California since 1999, according to veteran seismologist Lucy Jones, founder of the Dr. Lucy Jones Center for Science & Society.
Jones said the quake was not on the San Andreas fault. "It is an area with a lot of little faults but no long fault," she tweeted.
People felt tremors across Southern California, Las Vegas, and Phoenix.
President Donald Trump tweeted out:
'Been fully briefed on earthquake in Southern California. All seems to be very much under control!'
People all Southern California shared videos of the quake on social media:
A seismograph station near Morgan Hill also detected the quake.