Strong earthquake jolts Alaskans

Quake strikes closer than usual to population centres, destroys four homes

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — A magnitude-7.1 quake knocked items off shelves and walls in Alaska early Sunday morning, jolting the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region. There were no reports of injuries, but four homes were lost to explosions or fire following the quake.

Alaska’s state seismologist, Michael West, called it the strongest earthquake in the state’s south-central region in decades.

Other regions of Alaska often have larger or more powerful earthquakes, such as a 7.9 last year in the remote Aleutian Islands.

“However, last night’s earthquake is significant because it was close enough to Alaska’s population centres,” West said, adding aftershocks could continue for weeks.

The earthquake was widely felt by Anchorage residents.

But the Anchorage and Valdez police departments said they hadn’t received any reports of injury or significant damage.

The earthquake struck at about 1:30 a.m. Alaska time and was centred 85 kilometres west of Anchor Point in the Kenai Peninsula, which is about 257 km southwest of Anchorage.

Vincent Nusunginya, 34, of Kenai said he was at his girlfriend’s house when the quake hit.

“It started out as a shaking and it seemed very much like a normal earthquake. But then it started to feel like a normal swaying, like a very smooth side-to-side swaying,” said Nusunginya, director of audience at the Peninsula Clarion newspaper. “It was unsettling. Some things got knocked over, but there was no damage.”

Two homes in Ken ai were destroyed in gas leak explosions and the other two were fully engulfed before firefighters determined it was safe enough from gas for them to enter the homes, Kenai battalion chief Tony Prior said. He said firefighters focused on keeping the flames from those homes from spreading to nearby houses.

“No injuries. Thank God,” he said. “The second one was a major explosion. We’re fortunate that no one was hurt.”

About 30 homes were evacuated, and some people took shelter at the Kenai National Guard Armory.

Alaska Gov. Bill Walker said in a statement Sunday he was relieved there wasn’t more damage.

— THE ASSOCIATED PRESS In this picture provided by Vincent Nusunginya, items litter the aisles inside a Safeway grocery store following an earthquake Sunday on the Kenai Peninsula in south-central Alaska.