A small earthquake shook the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area Friday night, but there weren't any immediate reports of major damage or injuries.
The magnitude-4.3 quake struck shortly after 7:58 p.m. and was centered near Carson, about 21 miles (34 kilometers) southeast of downtown LA, according to preliminary information from the U.S. Geological Survey website.
Its depth was reported at about 9 miles (14 kilometers), the USGS reported.
Some people reported feeling a jolt ranging from a moment to several seconds across the area. It was felt in neighboring cities, including Santa Monica, Torrance and Beverly Hills.
There were reports of a fire breaking out at an oil refinery in Carson, but a Carson city official later explained that flames seen leaping into the sky were part of a 'controlled flaring.'
The Los Angeles Fire Department went into earthquake emergency mode, sending vehicles and helicopters to patrol its 470 square miles (1,217-square-kilometer) area but said it didn't receive any reports of 'significant damage or injury,' according to a department statement.
Seismologist Lucy Jones told KCBS-TV that the quake 'doesn't look abnormal at all.'
'This size happens on average somewhere in Southern California every couple of months,' she said. 'When it happens to be in the middle of the Los Angeles basin then a lot more people feel it and it becomes bigger news.'
But others who experienced the quake said it was strong enough to spook them.
One local posting on KTLA's Facebook page branded the tremor 'a scary one.'
They added: 'I literally heard it coming. The house was rumbling for a good 10 seconds.”
Another said they were convinced that the quake was stronger than a 4.3, writing that it 'Was way bigger than that.'
Friday's quake was the second to hit the area in five days, with a 3.6 tremor hitting Thousand Oaks Monday.
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