Southern California Battered by Another Quake, Biggest in 20 Years

A magnitude 6.9 earthquake jolted Southern California and was felt as far away as Mexico on Friday night.

A damaged motorhome is seen red-taped after an earthquake, Thursday, 4 July 2019, in Ridgecrest, California.

(Photo: AP)

A magnitude 7.1 earthquake jolted much of California, cracked buildings, set fires, broke roads and caused several injuries while seismologists warned that large aftershocks were expected to continue.

The quake — preceded by Thursday's 6.4-magnitude temblor in the Mojave Desert — was the largest Southern California quake in at least 20 years and was followed by a series of large and small aftershocks, including a few above magnitude 5.0.

There is about a 1-in-10 chance that another 7.0 quake could hit within the next week, said Lucy Jones, a seismologist at the California Institute of Technology and a former science adviser at the US Geological Survey.

The chance of a 5.0-magnitude quake “is approaching certainty,” she added.

However, the quake was unlikely to affect fault lines outside of the area, Jones said, noting that the gigantic San Andreas Fault was far away.

The quake struck at 8:19 pm and was centred 11 miles from Ridgecrest in the same areas where the previous quake hit.

"These earthquakes are related," Jones said, adding that the new quake probably ruptured along about 25 miles of fault line.

The quake was felt as far north as Sacramento, as far east as Las Vegas and as far south as Mexico.

The area in and around Ridgecrest, already trying to recover from the previous temblor, took the brunt of damage.

State Route 178 in Kern County was closed by a rockslide, and video showed a stretch of roadway had sunk. A fire at a mobile home park burnt several trailers.

No Building Collapses or Deaths Reported

But Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said there had been no immediate reports of building collapses or deaths, although injury reports sent paramedics scrambling.

"We know of no fatalities. There have been a lot of ambulance calls for help," Kern County Fire Chief David Witt said at a news conference. "We're launching a lot of people ... I am very confident that we can take care of the situation."

San Bernardino County firefighters reported cracked buildings and one minor injury.

Governor Gavin Newsom activated the state Office of Emergency Services operations centre "to its highest level."

‘Over 1000 Firefighters Mobilised’

Reports said the quake rocked chandeliers and rattled furniture as far away as Las Vegas, and the U.S. Geological Survey said it was felt in Mexico as well. In downtown Los Angeles, 150 miles away, offices in skyscrapers rolled and rocked for at least 30 seconds.

Brian Humphrey of the Los Angeles Fire Department told KNX-AM radio says more than 1,000 firefighters were mobilized, but there were no immediate reports of damage or injuries, according to AP.

The press box at Dodger Stadium lurched for several seconds, and fans in the upper deck appeared to be moving toward the exit. Enrique Hernandez of the Dodgers was at-bat in the bottom of the fourth when the quake occurred. He stepped out of the batter's box, but it wasn't clear if that was because of the quake.

An NBA Summer League game in Las Vegas was stopped after the quake. Speakers over the court at the Thomas & Mack Center continued swaying more than 10 minutes after the quake.

"Everyone was jumping over us to leave," said Daniel Earle, 52, of Playa del Rey, who was sitting with his wife in the stadium's reserve level.

"People were freaking out," he said. "There was a concession guy, and he actually was really cool because he was really calm. He's like, 'Relax. Tranquilo. Relax. Tranquilo,' and people were looking around."

“My wife was holding us, like squeezing. I’m surprised my arm is still here. She was squeezing into it so hard,” Earle said, according to AP.

However, the game continued.

‘Started Getting Stronger and Stronger’

The quake came as communities in the Mojave Desert tallied damage and made emergency repairs to cracked roads and broken pipes from the earlier quake.

Hours earlier, seismologists had said that quake had been followed by more than 1,700 aftershocks and that they might continue for years.

Jones said aftershocks from the new main quake could occur for three years.

Andrew Lippman, who lives in suburban South Pasadena, was sitting outside and reading the paper when Friday's quake hit.

“It just started getting stronger and stronger, and I looked into my house and the lamp started to sway. I could see power lines swaying,” he said. “This one seemed 45 (seconds)... I’m still straightening pictures.”

Damage from Thursday's quake appeared limited to desert areas, although the quake was felt widely. The largest aftershock — magnitude 5.4 — was also felt in Los Angeles before dawn Friday.

'Shaking the Chandelier’

People took to Twitter to post real-time videos and photos of the quake, with many showing water spilling out of pools.

Some described the effects of the earthquake, saying that they saw tables and chandeliers shaking.

Some expressed their concern at the series of quakes and aftershocks, praying for people’s safety.

(With inputs from Associated Press.)