'Quite a bit of shaking going on:' Plumas County earthquake rocks Northern California

Dozens of aftershocks continued to shake the Lake Almanor area of Plumas County on Friday, following the 5.5 earthquake that hit Thursday afternoon.

A second temblor registering 5.2 magnitude shook the Chester area shortly before 3:30 Friday morning, according to the Southern California Earthquake Data Center.

As of later Friday morning, there had been 51 aftershocks since the 5.5-magnitude quake hit at 4:19 p.m. Thursday, sending shockwaves throughout Northern California.

There were even reports of rumbling as far south as the Stockton area. The epicenter of the quake was reported about 9 miles southeast of Chester, the earthquake center said.

Residents said they felt the quake and some aftershocks but said they had not heard of any reports of damage around town.

The Plumas County Sheriff's Office said there have been no reports of injuries or serious damage to infrastructure from the earthquake.

Kevin Johnson, a realtor with Chase International realty in Chester, said he felt the quake when it hit.

"I was in my house at the time and had quite a bit of shaking going on, but no damage. So that was good. Looks like everything else around the lake's (Lake Almanor) OK, but everybody was a little frayed there," Johnson said.

He said it has been several years since there was a significant earthquake in the Chester area.

"I think we had one kind of like that seven years ago and some chimneys fell. But I haven't heard any reports yet from clients about any issues," Johnson said.

Ken Anthony, who owns Chester Tactical Sports in Chester, said he also was at home when the earthquake hit. As a former Southern California resident, he said he wasn't that impressed by the quake.

"It was a slider. That's what we call it because it just kind of shifted back and forth. It wasn't violent by any chance," Anthony said.

He said he was drinking coffee and the shaking lasted about 5 seconds. He didn't take shelter under a table or door way, but his dogs ran outside and started barking, he said.

The Chester Fire Department did not receive any calls for service after the quake, an official with the agency said. He also said he did not feel the earthquake.

Stephanie Hughes, a local restaurant owner, reported some damage at her business, the Associated Press reported.

“A lot of broken glass, a lot of broken dishes, a lot of broken liquor from upstairs,” Hughes said.

"Everything was shaking. Customers were fleeing onto the lawn,” she said.

People reported feeling the earthquake all the way to Sacramento, about 160 miles (260 kilometers) south.

The magnitude 5.5 quake was the largest in California since the magnitude 7.1 Ridgecrest sequence in 2019, according to former USGS seismologist Lucy Jones, who now runs a center focusing on making communities more resilient to disasters.

Reporter Damon Arthur welcomes story tips at 530-338-8834, by email at damon.arthur@redding.com and on Twitter at @damonarthur_RS. Help local journalism thrive by subscribing today!

This article originally appeared on Redding Record Searchlight: UPDATE: Second moderate earthquake rocks Northern California community