Strong quake rocks S. California

Emergency rescue crews fanned out yesterday to assess damage from the second powerful earthquake to hit Southern California in as many days -- a 7.1 magnitude tremor that revived fears of the so-called Big One the region has feared for decades. No fatalities or serious injuries have been reported from this second quake, the largest in Southern California in more than two decades. It hit Friday night in a remote and sparsely populated area around 150 miles (240 kilometers) northeast of Los Angeles, where it was also felt.

But the earth’s mighty twitch shook buildings, damaged roads and rattled people still jittery from a 6.4-magnitude earthquake in the same region on Thursday. Around 3,000 people in the Mojave Desert town of Ridgecrest and the surrounding area are without power, the local utility company said.

In the town of Trona some buildings collapsed, gas pipelines ruptured and power was knocked out. Officials would know more as day breaks, said Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California governor’s Office of Emergency Services. There were “significant reports” of fires caused by gas leaks, as well as breaks to power, water and communications lines in the region, he told a press conference. California Governor Gavin Newsom said he had requested emergency federal assistance from the White House, and state resources have been activated at their “highest level.”

Newsom later declared a state of emergency for San Bernardino County, expanding on an earlier announcement covering Kern County, near the epicenter of both the quakes this week. The latest quake was 11 times stronger than the 6.4-magnitude quake “foreshock” the previous day, according to the United States Geological Survey. The two major quakes, along with multiple aftershocks, have revived fears of the “Big One” -- a powerful tremor along the San Andreas Fault that could devastate major cities in Southern California.