OJAI : Quake Hits Remote Area; No Damage

A small earthquake shook a remote area near Wheeler Ridge on Sunday, but the temblor apparently did not shake enough to cause any injuries or property damage, authorities said.

The quake, which measured 3.1 on the Richter scale, struck at 1:43 p.m. nine miles northeast of Ojai, according to Caltech seismologist Will Houston.

“Its epicenter was fairly deep--about 10 or 12 kilometers down,” Houston said.

“It wasn’t very strong and we don’t know yet if it is connected to any other recent seismic activity” in the area.

Ventura County Sheriff’s Lt. Michael Gullon said the department received no reports of injury or damage.

“There’s nothing out there to be damaged. It’s a pretty remote area,” Gullon said.

“A few rabbits may have been displaced, but that’s about all.”

At the Ojai Locker Market, the temblor came and went without notice.

“What quake?” asked Robert Cook, the store’s manager.

“We didn’t even feel it. Nothing spilled, everything’s right where it should be.”

The last earthquake to roll through the Ojai area came in January, 1992, when a 2.3 temblor and a smaller aftershock hit two miles south of the city.

As in Sunday’s quake, no injuries or damage were reported.