No damage after moderate earthquake strikes B.C.'s South Coast

Transit security officers stand outside the Commercial-Broadway Skytrain station after the commuter train system was shut down to check for any possible damage to elevated guideways in Vancouver, in the early morning hours of Wednesday, Dec. 30, 2015. (Darryl Dyck / THE CANADIAN PRESS)

There are no reports of damage or injuries after a moderate earthquake jolted many British Columbians out of bed Tuesday night.

The quake, which was centered near Victoria, B.C., and also felt in Vancouver and Bellingham, Wash., struck at 11:39 p.m. PST.

Vancouver’s transit authority briefly shut down some of its Skytrain routes, to make sure there was no damage to elevated tracks.

One B.C. resident said they thought a tree had fallen on the house.

Another resident from Victoria said they could feel the ground shifting during the quake.

“I just felt the floor kind of sliding back and forth a bit,” he said. “I felt the entire (apartment) building just kind of lean a bit and come back. It lasted three or four seconds.”

The U.S. Geological Survey pinpointed the earthquake as originating near the town of Sidney, B.C., which is home to the Victoria International Airport.

The USGS initially said its magnitude was 4.9, at a depth of 40 kilometres underground. The organization later downgraded it to 4.8.

However, Natural Resources Canada said the quake measured 4.3. No tsunami warning was issued.

John Cassidy, a seismologist with Natural Resources Canada, said the quake was “felt by thousands and thousands of people.”

There have been bigger earthquakes off B.C.’s South Coast in recent years, but they had little impact on residents because they were far away, he said.

“You never know if it’s one of these small earthquakes with a few seconds of shaking or if that’s going to continue,” Cassidy said. “So it’s quite frightening.”

With a report from CTV Vancouver