Magnitude 4.5 quake strikes near Fort St. John

Residents of Fort St. John and the Peace Region reported shaking after a magnitude 4.5 earthquake struck the area on Thursday night.

The quake struck 16 kilometres southwest of Fort St. John at 5:27 p.m. PT, (6:27 p.m. MT), according to Earthquakes Canada.

The quake struck at a depth of 10 kilometres.

The agency says shaking was felt in Fort St. John, Taylor, Chetwynd and Dawson Creek.

One resident described the quake as feeling like “a big rolling wave,” while another said they felt their “entire building shake like the top floor was gonna fall off.”

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Pacific Geoscience Centre seismologist John Cassidy said the quake was followed by a pair of aftershocks, at 6:06 p.m. PT and 6:15 p.m. PT, both in the magnitude 3.5 to 4.0 range.

The B.C. Oil and Gas Commission said it is aware of the quake, and looking into whether there was any connection between it and hydraulic fracturing operations in the area.

BC Hydro says there were no injuries at the Site C dam, and deployed a team to inspect the site for damage or impact to operations.

On Friday afternoon, a spokesperson for BC Hydro confirmed they are still assessing the site but so far there are no reports of any injuries and work is continuing as normal.

There were no immediate reports of serious damage.