The strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in 20 years rolled through the Morongo Basin Thursday morning. The magnitude 6.4 earthquake, centered in Trona, just northeast of Ridgecrest, hit at 10:33 a.m. and was felt as far away as San Diego and Fresno. Kern County firefighters responded to about two dozen fires and medical calls following the quake; the fires are believed to have been started by broken gas lines. Damages in the Ridgecrest area included damaged houses, cracked walls, broken water and gas lines, downed power lines, rock slides, and buckled and cracked roads. Hundreds of aftershocks have been recorded following the 6.4 quake Thursday.
In the Morongo Basin, listeners reported swaying light fixtures, wobbling furniture, items falling on shelves, and spooked animals, but no damages were reported.
