Strong quake shakes Southern California
Published 12:00 am Wednesday, December 2, 2009
By Robert Jablon
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES ó A strong earthquake shook Southern California on Tuesday, causing buildings to sway and triggering some precautionary evacuations. No immediate damage was reported.
The jolt was felt from Los Angeles to San Diego, and slightly in Las Vegas.
Preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey estimated the quake at magnitude 5.8, centered 29 miles east-southeast of downtown Los Angeles near Chino Hills in San Bernardino County.
Los Angeles Fire Department spokesman Brian Humphrey said there were no immediate reports of damage or injury in Los Angeles. San Bernardino County fire dispatch also had no immediate reports of damage.
The quake struck at 11:42 a.m. PDT. Buildings swayed in downtown Los Angeles for several seconds.
Workers quickly evacuated some office buildings.
ěIt was dramatic. The whole building moved and it lasted for a while,î said Los Angeles County sheriffís spokesman Steve Whitmore, who was in the sheriffís suburban Monterey Park headquarters east of Los Angeles.