A magnitude 4.4 earthquake hit Los Angeles at 12:20 a.m. PT, according to the US Geological Survey. The agency said the initial reported magnitude of the “significant” quake was 4.7 but has since been downgraded to 4.4.
The shallow earthquake was only 7.5 miles deep and directly beneath the populated areas of Los Angeles, so it was widely felt despite its relatively modest magnitude.
“It was a shock,” a woman who teaches at a nursing school in Glendale said. “And then the building started shaking violently. It wasn’t the good roll we get.”
Monday’s tremor sent the Los Angeles Fire Department into earthquake mode, with crews at 106 fire stations surveying their districts. Upon completion of the check, the department said there were no reports of injuries or structural damage.
Officials said the only known initial report of damage in Pasadena was a broken water pipe. According to James, it was the sprinkler head at the top of the City Hall Rotunda.