4.4 Earthquake in Sonoma County Jolts the Bay Area

A magnitude 4.4 earthquake shook the Bay Area on Wednesday night, but no injuries or damage were immediately reported.

The temblor struck just after 8 p.m. about three miles west of Glen Ellen in Sonoma County -- 42 miles northwest of San Francisco -- and was followed by a 2.0 aftershock about an hour later, the U.S. Geological Survey said.

There were no initial reports of serious injuries or damage, according to a Sonoma County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher. But several businesses and residents near the epicenter said the quake sent some items tumbling to the floor.

Some pictures in the Benziger Family Winery gift shop in Glen Ellen fell from the walls, but the quake was just a “typical California” occurrence, said Brian Catlett, Benziger’s assistant tasting room manager.

“Some pictures fell off the wall, wine shifted a little bit -- nothing major,” Catlett said.

At the nearby Wolf House Restaurant, manager Erin Christy said the temblor rattled the nerves of some staff and customers sitting on the back patio, which was swaying for several seconds, but no damage was done. “To me, it felt a lot bigger,” she said.

The earthquake was felt as far north as Cloverdale and more than 80 miles to the south in San Jose, according to scientists.