WORLD> America
Quake rattles buildings, nerves in Los Angeles
(Agenices)
Updated: 2008-07-30 06:42

"We have no reported damages or cracks to structures," said Caltrans spokeswoman Maria Raptis.


Ralph Tollett looks at the damage to his son's building in Pomona, Calif. on Tuesday, July 29, 2008. A magnitude 5.4 earthquake struck near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills around noon Tuesday. [Agencies] 

The jolt caused a fire but no injuries at a Southern California Edison electrical substation in La Habra, about 12 miles southwest of the epicenter, spokesman Paul Klein said. Damage there and to other equipment led to some power outages in Chino Hills, Chino, Diamond Bar and Pomona, he said.

Near the epicenter, all the customers of a Chino Hills Starbucks ran outside and bags of coffee beans fell off shelves, said worker Jamie Saleh, 24.

"It was very, very strong. It was rolling and ... there wasn't a pause. it came on really strong and just kep going."

Chino Hills was incorporated in 1991, so much of the construction is newer and built to modern safety standards, said city spokeswoman Denise Cattern. She said there were no reports of harm in the city of 80,000, although cell phone service in the area was disrupted. The biggest employer in town, the school district, is out of session.

"At this point, the biggest impact we can report is getting through on cell phones. ... And a few little rattled nerves," Cattern said.

"It was dramatic. The whole building moved and it lasted for a while," said Los Angeles County sheriff's spokesman Steve Whitmore, who was in the sheriff's suburban Monterey Park headquarters east of Los Angeles.

In Orange County, about 2000 detectives were attending gang conference at a Marriott hotel in Anaheim when a violent jolt shook the main conference room.

Mike Willever, who was at the hotel, said, "First we heard the ceiling shaking, then the chandelier started to shake, then there was a sudden movement of the floor."

Chris Watkins, from San Diego, said he previously felt several earthquakes, but "that was one of the worst ones."