6.0 Earthquake Hits Northern California

The last time an earthquake of this size hit the Bay Area was in 1989, when the infamous Loma Prieta quake at magnitude 6.9 caused severe damage.
By Susie Madrak — August 24, 2014

Damage reported throughout the area, with power outages leaving many people in the dark. More news as we get it:

The biggest Bay Area earthquake in a quarter-century rattled the region early Sunday morning, with a 6.0 shaker waking up nervous locals, knocking out power to tens of thousands of buildings in Napa County and tossing items from shelves in homes and stores.

The quake was reported at 3:20 a.m., centered close to Buchli Station Road near American Canyon in Napa County, and was about 6.7 miles deep, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

An estimated 2.3 million people from the Santa Cruz area to Wine Country were affected, with several thousand quickly reporting that they had felt the rumble, the USGS reported.

More than 30 aftershocks were reported, topping out at magnitude 3.6.

The last time an earthquake of this size hit the Bay Area was in 1989, when the infamous Loma Prieta quake at magnitude 6.9 caused severe damage. The largest on record was the historic 7.8 earthquake that hit San Francisco in 1906.

At Queen of the Valley Medical Center in Napa, about 70 patients had been treated for earthquake-related injuries as of 6:30 a.m., spokeswoman Vanessa deGier said. Most of those entailed cuts, bumps and bruises, she said, but medical staff were treating one patient who was in critical condition after suffering a heart attack and another who underwent surgery after fracturing a hip.

Also Sunday, the reports of damage began to pour in. Some street lights in Napa were knocked out, and there were scattered reports of fires, the California Highway Patrol said. People posted pictures on social media of a Walmart and a grocery store with bottles knocked over and shattered. Some residents posted pictures of their kitchens in disarray. One man posted a picture of his chimney knocked over.

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