Northern California hit by 4.4 magnitude earthquake; no major damage reported

One Santa Rosa resident said they heard a loud noise and shaking from the earthquake magnitude 4.4 caused paintings to fall off their walls

A 4.4-magnitude earthquake in Northern California prompted a response from fire officials over reported gas leaks, the odor of gas, fire alarms going off, and stuck elevators Tuesday evening, according to the Santa Rosa Fire Department. 

The earthquake was centered in Santa Rosa, which is a little over 50 miles north of San Francisco. 

• The 4.4 temblors, which struck around 6:39 p.m.

• PT was quickly followed by a 3.9 magnitude one, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.
• The epicenter was 4.66 miles underground. 

The quakes, which were felt as far north as Mendocino County and as far south as Santa Clara County, also knocked pictures off walls, according to the newspaper and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

Photos from Santa Rosa showed items knocked off shelves, cracked walls, and other minor damage. The Santa Rosa Fire Department said that they had to respond to some reports of gas leaks, but that no one was injured.

The earthquake was centered in Santa Rosa, which is a little over 50 miles north of San Francisco. Renowned seismologist Dr. Lucy Jones said that the fault line where the quake happened hasn’t had a big earthquake since the 18th century. The last moderate earthquake on the fault also happened near Santa Rosa when a 5.6-magnitude temblor struck in October 1969.

C​California’s early earthquake alert system sent out alerts to people in San Francisco more than 18 seconds before the earthquake hit.