On Thursday morning, a 4.7 magnitude earthquake struck the Los Angeles area, further compounding the region’s current crisis with ongoing wildfires. The earthquake’s epicenter was located 4 miles north of Malibu, as reported by the US Geological Survey.
The tremor resulted in boulders being dislodged onto a road in Malibu, caused noticeable shaking at Santa Monica’s historic 1909 wooden pier, and jolted residents awake. Fortunately, there were no immediate reports of injuries or damages.
The quake was felt as far as 45 miles away in Orange County, with residents noting that objects moved within their homes. Several aftershocks followed the main tremor. A live camera feed from Santa Monica Pier, situated about 10 miles from Malibu, captured the intense shaking.
Bruce Silverstein, a Malibu council member, commented that it was the strongest quake he had experienced in his 13 years living in the area, with the shaking lasting about two to three seconds and causing concern over potential window breakage.
Los Angeles Struck by 4.7 Earthquake Amidst Worsening Wildfire Crisis
In the aftermath, several celebrities, including Paris Hilton and Khloe Kardashian, took to social media to express their alarm over the earthquake. Thursday’s quake is part of a series of recent seismic activities in the region, including a 4.4 magnitude earthquake from the previous month.
This year has already seen 14 earthquakes of magnitude 4.0 or higher in southern California, surpassing the recent average. Despite the heightened seismic activity, seismologist Lucy Jones from the California Institute of Technology noted that it’s too early to determine if this increase is statistically significant, though it is noteworthy compared to historical data.
The earthquake struck at a particularly challenging time for the LA area, which is grappling with three major wildfires. These fires, exacerbated by a recent heatwave, have destroyed dozens of homes and led to large-scale evacuations.
Firefighters are working to control the blazes, which have been fueled by the extreme heat, but their efforts have been hindered by the conditions. The wildfires have already burned nearly three times the acreage compared to all of 2023, affecting thousands of homes and structures across southern California.
In Wrightwood, a small community outside Los Angeles, residents were forced to evacuate rapidly due to the rapidly expanding Bridge fire, which has burned over 50,000 acres and destroyed at least 33 homes.
The speed of the fire, moving across challenging terrain, has been unprecedented, leaving residents with little time to evacuate. With national guard troops deployed to assist with evacuations and the White House closely monitoring the situation, efforts continue to manage the fires and address the widespread damage and disruption caused by both the earthquakes and the wildfires.
