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At least two killed in 6.5 quake in California
Damage, injuries reported near epicenter; thousands without power
BREAKING NEWS
NBC, MSNBC and news services
Updated: 5:59 p.m. ET Dec. 22, 2003
PASO ROBLES, Calif. - An earthquake rocked the central coast of California on Monday, killing at least two people, knocking out power to thousands and causing widespread but mostly minor damage near the epicenter.
The two victims were believed to have been found in the debris of a block of partly collapsed buildings in downtown Paso Robles, a city of 25,000 in San Luis Obispo County about 25 miles east-southeast of the epicenter. Other reports indicated that a third person had died, but they could not immediately be confirmed.
Several cars parked nearby also were crushed, and the landmark Clock Tower Building in the town of Templeton toppled. Twin Cities Community Hospital in Templeton reported treating 20 to 30 patients for minor quake-related injuries, said Lt. Steve Bolts, a spokesman for the San Luis Obispo sheriff's office.
At least one motorist called to report a rock slide on a nearby highway, California Highway Patrol Officer Ron Friberg said. The severity of the slide was not immediately known.
Kelly Van Buren, a spokeswoman for the San Luis Obispo Red Cross, said two houses were reportedly left uninhabitable.
The quake, which hit about 11:16 a.m. PT (2:16 ET), was felt as far away as Los Angeles to the south, the Central Valley in the east and San Francisco to the north. It was felt as a sustained but gentle rolling motion in downtown Los Angeles. In San Francisco, it rocked the 20-story federal courthouse, whose upper floors swayed for about 30 seconds.
But people nearer the epicenter said they experienced a series of jolts.
"It was pretty sharp," said Sharyn Conn, a receptionist at the oceanside Cypress Cove Inn in the coastal town of Cambria. "It really went on and on. I just got everyone under the door frames and rode it out."
The U.S. Geological Survey, or USGS, gave it a preliminary magnitude of 6.5 and said it was centered 10 miles north of Cambria. Cambria is in San Luis Obispo County, about 185 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The county has a population of around 250,000.
The epicenter is near San Simeon, William Randolph Hearst’s castle. The popular tourist attraction was evacuated as a precaution but reported no obvious damage. Roy Stearns, a spokesman for the state Department of Parks and Recreation, said a crew was preparing to go over its 150 rooms in detail.
Brian Lassige, a USGS spokesman, said the quake was relatively shallow, centered 4.7 miles beneath the ground, making it capable of inflicting greater damage than a deeper temblor. Although magnitude-6 quakes can cause severe damage in populated areas, damage is often much less in places with strong building codes.
The USGS recorded at least 30 aftershocks in the first hour after the quake, the largest of magnitude 4.7.
60,000 homes, businesses without power
John Nelson, a spokesman for Pacific Gas and Electric, told NBC News that about 65,000 homes and businesses were without power. The utility was weighing whether to call in additional crews from Fresno.
The utility reported no major damage at its Diablo Canyon nuclear power plant, which was being checked for minor damage. Another utility, Duke Energy, said there was no substantive damage at its two coastal power plants, Morro Bay and Moss Landing.
The quake struck on a series of faults that run parallel to the San Andreas Fault, said Lucy Jones, scientist in charge of the U.S. Geological Survey office in Pasadena.
"It's luckily on the coast — there is not very much nearby. That's a good thing," Jones said.
USGS geophysicist Ross Stein, who noted that a similar-strength quake hit the area in 1952, said Monday’s temblor would be expected to produce hundreds of aftershocks over the next days, weeks and even years but there was only a five to 10 percent risk that any of the aftershocks would be bigger than the initial quake.
“You put an earthquake like that under Los Angeles and you have tens of billions of dollars in damage. You put it out here in a relatively remote place and fortunately there are not many immediate consequences,” he said.
The collapsed buildings in downtown Paso Robles were the most substantial damage reported in San Luis Obispo County, said Gilbert Portillo, a spokesman for the fire department.
"Everything else seems to be little things, like medical aid and some gas leaking," Portillo added.
Sheriff's Sgt. Pete Hodgkin added: "It's the usual stuff, broken glass and stuff. Haven't heard anything serious. Some people are hurt at the Wildhorse Winery; some wine barrels fell over. I don't know anything more.”
Several fires were burning near the epicenter, possibly caused by ruptured gas mains, and a rockslide on was reported to have blocked a highway.
MSNBC's Mike Brunker, NBC's Kevin Sites in Paso Robles, The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.