6.0 Bay Area quake felt in Lake Tahoe
Publisher’s note: The 6.0 American Canyon earthquake was felt by a woman who lives in the Angora burn area. “At about 3:20am I felt my couch shake a bit. Cat freaked out,” she emailed Lake Tahoe News.
By Napa Register
An earthquake measuring an estimated 6.0 struck southern Napa County early Sunday with widespread reports of damage throughout the area.
This was the largest Bay Area quake since the 1989 Loma Prieta quake, which measured about 6.9, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.
The worst damage appeared to be at the Napa Valley Mobile Home Park in Napa, where at least four homes were destroyed by fire and up to eight more were damaged, according to Napa County Fire Capt. Steve Becker. No residents were injured, but three hours after the quake, the fires continued to burn.
“It’s breaking my heart,” said resident Linda Butler, as she surveyed the damage to her neighbor’s house.
Elsewhere, homes and businesses suffered broken glass, overturned furniture, and some structural damage.City spokesman Barry Martin said there were about 50 known gas leaks and 30 known water leaks as of 7am. PG&E and city public works crews were dealing with those.
Downtown streets were littered with debris, particularly from older unreinforced masonry buildings. Martin said city inspectors would be checking on structures this week to determine if they are safe to occupy.