Earthquake in Southern California

August 7, 2012 11:30pm

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake rattled Southern California on Tuesday night. The quake was reported at 11:23 p.m. and was centered around Yorba Linda in northern Orange County.

There was no immediate word of injuries or damage, but the quake was felt over a wide area.

According to the the U.S. Geological Survey, the temblor struck two miles northeast of Yorba Linda, about 29 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.

It was felt from Long Beach northwest to Santa Monica, as well as in downtown L.A.

The initial quake’s epicenter was located five miles from Placentia; 6 miles from Chino Hills and 8 miles from Orange. The LA Civic Center was 29 miles away from the quakes epicenter.

There were no injuries or damage immediately reported following the quake, but all fire resources were placed in “Emergency Earthquake Mode,” Matt Spence of the Los Angeles Fire Department said in an email statement Tuesday night.

Firefighters from all 106 neighborhood stations on Tuesday night were surveying 470 square miles in the Greater Los Angeles area, Spence said, inspecting residential buildings, schools, powerlines and transportation infrastructures.

By 12:15 a.m., the Emergency Earthquake Mode was lifted and fire officials said they did not find any signficant damage or reports of injuries.

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