A strong 7.0 magnitude earthquake has struck off the coast of northern California, according to the US Geological Survey.
A tsunami warning has been issued along the coasts of both northern California and southern Oregon following the quake.
The earthquake’s epicentre was marked near Ferndale, California, a small city in Humboldt County.
It is unclear how widespread the damage is, but one resident of Ferndale who spoke to the BBC in the minutes following the quake said the inside of the building she was in “looks like a bomb has gone off in every room”.
Olivia Cobian, the innkeeper at the Gingerbread Mansion Inn in Ferndale, said the inside of the inn now “looks like a warzone”.
“We have huge cast iron fireplaces that have been lifted up and moved over, everything’s fallen over, broken, I’m just glad no one was in the house”.
Multiple aftershocks have been reported since the initial earthquake, which struck around 1400 ET ( 9:00 GMT).
California Governor Gavin Newsom has been briefed on the earthquakes and is meeting with state emergency officials to help coordinate the response.
The Humboldt County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services said they had not immediately received any reports indicating widespread damage.
Typically, after an earthquake first responders in the area will survey buildings and roads to look for any damage and examine structural integrity.
This is a developing news story. Please refresh for updates.
