3.9 Earthquake Strikes Near Fillmore, Causes No Injuries

A 3.9-magnitude earthquake, with its epicenter 14 miles northwest of Fillmore, struck just before 10 a.m. Thursday.

No damage or injuries were reported.

Seismologists say the shaker backs the county’s position as the state’s most active in terms of tremors.

The county experiences hundreds of rumbles a year, according to experts. Most, like Thursday’s, are barely noticeable, ranging on average under magnitude 3, said Dale Carnathan, program administrator of the Sheriff’s Department Office of Emergency Services.

Thursday’s earthquake was preceded by four light jolts Wednesday, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The strongest of those had a magnitude 2.6.

Geologists at Caltech in Pasadena said the county is slowly shrinking because of quake activity surrounding the county.

“They indicate we are getting measurably shorter from north to south,” Carnathan said. “We are being crunched.”

Carnathan added, however, that the county is prepared for stronger earthquakes.

Officials have collected a large water reserve from the Calleguas Municipal Water District, have access to county radios powered by generators, and can erect an emergency-operating center in an hour.

Experts also said that Ventura County is better prepared for “the big one” than some more stable areas in California. That is because the county’s buildings are modern and, therefore, more earthquake proof than buildings in cities such as San Francisco and Oakland, which have older structures and are densely populated.