Emergency officials in southern California’s high desert braced for strong, potentially dangerous aftershocks from a major earthquake that damaged buildings, ruptured gas lines and sparked numerous fires.
The magnitude 7.1 quake rocked the Mojave Desert town of Ridgecrest near Death Valley National Park as darkness fell on Friday night, jolting the area with eight times more force than a magnitude 6.4 quake that had struck the same area 34 hours earlier.
California Governor Gavin Newsom requested federal assistance and placed the state Office of Emergency Services (OES) on its highest alert.
Photo: AP
“We have significant reports of fires, structural fires, mostly as a result of gas leaks or gas line breaks,” OES Director Mark Ghilarducci told a late-night news conference on Friday.
The quake also caused water mains breaks and knocked out power and communications to parts of Ridgecrest, a city of about 27,000 about 202km northeast of Los Angeles.
No fatalities or serious injuries were reported from either quake, police said.
“This was a very large earthquake, and we also know there’s going to be a series of aftershocks as a result of the main quake,” Ghilarducci said, adding that his agency faced a “challenge” getting needed resources to the isolated quake zone.
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