Thread: 7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska

7.1-magnitude earthquake hits Alaska

By Joshua Berlinger, CNN
Updated 10:35 AM ET, Sun January 24

(CNN)A 7.1-magnitude earthquake struck Alaska early Sunday morning, according to the U.S. Geological Survey.

The quake's epicenter hit near Cook Inlet, 162 miles southwest of Anchorage. It was about 50 miles deep.

Joshua Veldstra, a professional photographer who lives in Homer, said the earthquake lasted about 30 seconds.

"When it hit, it was just soft at first, and it just kept getting bigger," Veldstra said. "It was one of those moments where you didn't' know if it was going to get worse or if it was going to calm down."

Anchorage police tweeted that there were no reports of major damage or injury following the earthquake.

The USGS reported that there was a low likelihood of casualties and damage, but the agency's "Did You Feel It?" map shows strong shaking could be felt near Anchorage.

The National Weather Service said there was no tsunami threat from the quake because of how deep it struck.

Two smaller earthquakes -- a 4.0 and a 3.2 -- struck within 30 minutes after the first one.

How earthquakes are measured

http://www.cnn.com/2016/01/24/us/ala...ake/index.html

UPDATE: Kenai home severely damaged by explosion following earthquake

Tulsi Patil and Kyle Hopkins / KTUU

POSTED: 02:05 AM AKST Jan 24, 2016 UPDATED: 10:13 AM AKST Jan 24, 2016


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Zach Moore and Myles Thomas share this photo of damage to K-Beach Road following Sunday morning's quake. Central Emergency Services says the road is impassable at Mile 1.

UPDATE 10 a.m.:
Firefighters have managed to control a blaze that erupted at a Kenai home several hours after the earthquake Sunday morning.

The first fire was reported at a home on Lilac Lane shortly after the earthquake at around 2:10 a.m., according to Kenai Police Chief Gus Sandahl. Emergency responders were still on scene investigating the smell of gas when an explosion occurred at another home on Lilac just a few hours later.

Sandahl said the explosion occurred sometime between 5 am and 6 am and has caused severe damage to the home. No serious injuries have been reported, Sandahl said.

Emergency responders evacuated about 30 residences on Lilac Lane and Cook Inlet Drive while working to isolate gas leaks in the neighborhood. About 20 people are using emergency shelter, Sandahl said.

UPDATE 8 a.m.:
The Kenai Fire Department says it is battling three structure fires on Lilac Lane this morning, an apparent escalation from the initial single fire.

"Earlier this morning a second home exploded on Lilac Lane as utility crews continue to isolate the gas leaks," the department posted to its official Facebook page at about 8:10 a.m.

ORIGINAL STORY:

A 7.1 magnitude earthquake rocked Southcentral Alaska early Sunday, striking at 1:30 a.m. in Pedro Bay, according the U.S. Geological Survey.The Alaska Earthquake Center reported the magnitude as 6.8.

The quake -- centered about 162 miles southwest of Anchorage -- left thousands of people without power overnight. As many as 22 Kenai-area homes were evacuated following an apparent gas leak, said Kenai Police Chief Gus Sandahl.

Police in Anchorage and Kenai report no known injuries or major damage.

The Kenai gas leak was discovered on Lilac Lane following a fire that was quickly extinguished, Sandahl said. "There was a strong smell of gas in that subdivision. And then the fire department and police department began evacuating the neighborhood."

Earthquake rips K-Beach Road

An armory is being used as a temporary shelter for about 20 people, he said. In addition to Lilac Lane, a few nearby homes were evacuated on Cook Inlet View Drive.
Kenai police said residents can call the shelter at 395-4901 or call the police department at 283-7879 to check on the status of the leaks. Enstar has joined firefighters at the scene, working to locate and contain the ruptures.

The shaker ripped a section of Kalifornsky Beach (K-Beach) Road at Mile 1, making the road impassable, said Brad Nelson, a health and safety officer with Central Emergency Services. The road connects Kasilof and Soldotna. The damage is at the Kasilof end, he said.

The Alaska Earthquake Center recorded some 30 aftershocks, including a magnitude 4.3 quake that hit at 3:37 a.m.

"Everything was flying off the shelves," said Bob Candopolous of Seward. "It was tough to get to the front door to get out of the house."

No tsunamis were expected as a result of the quake.
Was your home damaged? Let us know. Send us an email at news@ktuu.com

POWER OUTAGES:
Matanuska Electric Association
The Valley power utility reported about 4,900 customers without power as of 2:43 a.m. By 6:30 a.m., that number had dwindled to 139 outages.

See the outage map here.

Chugach Electric Association:

Chugach reported as many as 4,600 households and customers without power shortly after the quake. As of 6:30 a.m., about 120 outages remained.

See the Chugach outage map.
Municipal Light & Power

ML&P initially reported an outage in Downtown Anchorage affecting 159 customers. Shortly before 6 a.m., the utility said a Fairview outage had ended.

"Crews are still responding to a handful of isolated outages caused by blown fuses from the earthquake," ML&P Tweeted.

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