A powerful earthquake jolted Southern California on Thursday, touching off fires, damaging buildings and forcing the evacuation of a hospital in a desert town northeast of Los Angeles, but there were only minor injuries.
The 6.4 magnitude quake, the most powerful in Southern California in 25 years, struck about 113 miles (182 km) northeast of Los Angeles near the city of Ridgecrest at around 10:30 a.m. PDT (1730 GMT), according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). The epicenter was on the edge of Death Valley National Park.
The Kern County Fire Department said it was dealing with “multiple injuries” that it described as minor, two house fires, small brush fires and gas leaks.
