Quake shakes area along Nevada-California border

A magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck near Lake Tahoe on Thursday afternoon but there were no immediate reports of any injuries of serious damage.

The quake hit at 3:49 p.m. about 20 miles southwest of Smith Valley, Nevada, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The quake was 6 miles deep.

It was followed by a dozen aftershocks, with at least one with a 4.6 magnitude, the USGS said.

Sally Rosen, who owns a popular burger restaurant in Walker, near the epicenter, said that her 2-year-old was napping in her arms in her home behind the restaurant when the earthquake hit.

“We felt the shaking of the building, and we didn’t know quite what it was at first,” she told KGO-TV in San Francisco. “It kept going, and it was pretty intense and scary, frankly. So we ran out of the house as fast as we could and ran to the restaurant because the first thought was, ‘Oh my goodness, we need to shut off the gas.’ ”

She said cups and other items flew off the shelves, and oil splattered from the fryers.

Communities all around Lake Tahoe and as far south as Fresno, California, felt the earthquake.

U.S. 395, a major route through the northern Sierra Nevada, was closed because of rock slides, the state Department of Transportation said. The closure stretched about 40 miles from near the town of Willow Springs to Nevada border.

“While there are no preliminary reports of damage or injuries, this is a rapidly evolving situation & more details will emerge in the coming hours.” California’s Office of Emergency Services tweeted. “We are working closely with local officials to ensure they have the resources and support to rapidly respond to these earthquakes.”

Recent Nevada quakes

— In May, a 4.2 quake struck beneath Lake Tahoe.

— No reports of damage were reported following a 4.5 earthquake near Carson City in March 2020.

— In July 2019, a 7.1 magnitude earthquake in Ridgecrest, California, shook Las Vegas.

— In June 2019, several small earthquakes struck the Carson City area.

— The Associated Press contributed to this report.