California Earthquake Sparks Building Collapse in Rio Dell

The city of Rio Dell in northern California was struck by an earthquake on Tuesday which led to at least one building collapsing, according to reports.

According to the California Fire Scanner Twitter page, the earthquake struck the city with a magnitude of 6.4.

"Reported structural collapse on Pacific Avenue in Rio Dell with person possibly unaccounted for," one of the page's tweets read.

"Several gas leaks in Fortuna too. Arcata has a report of someone requiring assistance getting out of a trailer on Stamps Lane."

Michael Steinberg, wildfire photographer, snow chaser and reporter for the Watch Duty App, which provides real time information about wildfire movements in the California State, also commented on the news of an earthquake.

"Hearing of multiple gas leaks in Fortuna, additionally a possible structure collapse with people trapped in Rio Dell per scanner traffic.

"Just heard of a handicapped person trapped in an apartment in Rio Dell as well."

Action News meteorologist Cort Klopping gave further details on the quake.

"Did you feel it? A 6.4 magnitude earthquake was reported off the northern coast of California just to the southeast of Eureka at 2:34 a.m. Tuesday morning.

"You can see the cluster of quakes in red dots off and along the coast. The largest red dot is the 6.4 magnitude one."

The National Weather Service's tsunami warning system took to Twitter to announce that there was no tsunami threat as a result of the quake.

The tremor has led to other issues. Pacific Gas and Electric Company reported that tens of thousands of its customers are without power in the region where the quake struck.

The California Highway Patrol said that the Fernbridge, a 1,320-foot-long concrete arch bridge that crosses the Eel River, had been damaged.

According to a Weather Channel report, the bridge has cracks in four places and has been closed to traffic.

North Coast News reporter Austin Castro shared images on his Twitter pages of the damage.

"Fernbridge earthquake damage: Damage to Fernbridge following the [6.4] magnitude earthquake in Humboldt County.

"Main road to Ferndale currently closed by CalTrans as crews inspect for additional damage."

A massive earthquake is set to strike the state of California within the next 100 years and will be made worse by climate change, according to experts.

Scientists have called it the "Big One", an earthquake that is predicted to hit California along the San Andreas Fault.

The earthquake would likely have a magnitude of 8 or higher and cause significant devastation throughout the state.

Climate change has little to no impact on the cause of earthquakes. However scientists have noted that the consequences of climate change will mean that wildfires and mudslides that follow could double the fatalities and economic loss.

Update 12/20/22, 8:05 a.m. EST: This article was updated to add quotes and context.

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