State Of Emergency Declared After 6.4 Magnitude Earthquake Hit California

A state of emergency is under effect for parts of California after a magnitude 6.4 earthquake hit the state Thursday.

The earthquake's epicenter was in the Mojave Desert, about 160 miles northeast of Los Angeles.

Residents near the epicenter, in the town of Ridgecrest, were hardest hit by the magnitude 6.4 quake.

The jolt caused a house to go up in flames; items flew off shelves of supermarkets and broken bottles littered the floor of a liquor store.

The quake was felt as far away as Las Vegas and Los Angeles. 

Seismologist Lucy Jones said "We will be continuing to have lots of aftershocks. There is a 1 in 20 chance that this is not the largest event within the sequence."

Power was knocked out in many nearby communities and some roads are still closed Friday morning.

Authorities said that so far there are no reported deaths; however, some people are injured but officials haven't released any numbers yet.

This was the largest quake to rock Southern California since 1999.

Geological experts said this earthquake was much farther away from most populated area, but it should still be a wake-up call for Californians.