Big Bear's famed eagle cam captures Ridgecrest earthquake

How did Big Bear's famed eagles handle the strongest earthquake to hit Southern California in 20 years? Thankfully, they appeared to fare just fine.

Friends of Big Bear Valley's eagle nest camera captured the moment the quake struck. In that footage, surviving eaglet Simba appeared to wake up as the nest starts shaking -- not from wind, but from the earthquake.

Simba appeared to escape unscathed in his nest, which is about 110 miles from the earthquake's epicenter.

The strongest earthquake in 20 years shook a large swath of Southern California and parts of Nevada on Thursday, rattling nerves on the July 4th holiday and causing some injuries and damage in a town near the epicenter.

The 6.4 magnitude quake struck at 10:33 a.m. in the Mojave Desert, about 150 miles northeast of Los Angeles, near the town of Ridgecrest, California.

Multiple injuries and two house fires were reported in the town of 28,000. Emergency crews were also dealing with small vegetation fires, gas leaks and reports of cracked roads, said Kern County Fire Chief David Witt.

Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Kern County. The declaration means that the state will help the county and municipalities in it with emergency aid and recovery efforts.

A series of aftershocks included a 4.5 magnitude temblor, according to the United States Geological Survey.

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An earthquake-damaged street is seen Saturday, July 6, 2019, in Trona, Calif.

AP Photo/Marcio Jose Sanchez

The Associated Press contributed to this report.