Earthquake Story

Who: Earthquake
What: killed 2, injured 6
Where: San Francisco Bay area
When: 8:12 AM yesterday
Why: Hayward Fault
How: 6.4 Magnitude

Yesterday, An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale hit the San Francisco Bay area, killing two and injuring six people. The earthquake occurred along the Hayward Fault that runs under Hayward Hills, which felt the highest impact of the earthquake.

A building housing McHenry’s Auto Supply at 2342 Plum St. partially collapsed, causing the deaths and injuries. Mike Beamer,  who lives in an apartment across the street form McHenry's  said he felt a rolling motion that lasted for about 30 seconds, with a big jolt coming in the middle.

“I was eating my breakfast when the room started rolling. I dove under the table just as I heard an explosion outside and a chunk of cement flew through my kitchen window. That’s when the screaming start across the street,” said Hayward Resident Mike Beamer. 

Hayward firefighters used ropes to stabilize the building, conducted a search throughout the building, and capped a gas line after a gas leak was detected. 

Twenty-one fire personnel, 12 police and five American Red Cross workers responded to the building collapse, with some arriving within four minutes of the quake, said Jennifer Vu, a public information officer from the Hayward Fire Department.

Three of the six injured in the earthquake required hospitalization and were transported to Hayward General Hospital. 

Vu informed that no other serious injuries have been reported in Hayward. 

Penny Gertz, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, called the earthquake a “strong one." 

People as far south as Los Angeles and as far north as Redding felt the quake, said Gertz. 

Twenty-one fire personnel, 12 police and five American Red Cross workers responded to the building collapse, some of which arrived within minutes of when the quake occurred. 

Names of the dead are being withheld pending notifications of families, Vu said.

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