Earthquake story

On Monday morning, at 8:12 PDT, a powerful earthquake rocked the San Francisco Bay area. It was brutal for people all around the county.

Three of the six people injured were hurt seriously enough to require hospitalization and were transported to Hayward General Hospital.

“The epicenter of the earthquake, which had a magnitude of 6.4 on the Richter scale, was under the Hayward Hills,” according to Penny Gertz, a scientist from the U.S. Geological Survey in Menlo Park, “the quake was a strong one and it occurred on the Hayward Fault, which runs under the hills.”

A building housing McHenry’s Auto Supply at 2342 Plum St. partially collapsed, killing two people and injuring six others, according to Jennifer Vu, a public information officer from the Hayward Fire Department.

“Names of the dead are being withheld pending notifications of families,” Vu said.

Hayward Resident Mike Beamer, whose apartment is across the street from McHenry’s, said he felt a rolling motion that lasted about 30 seconds, with a big jolt coming in the middle.

“I was eating my breakfast when the room started rolling. I dove under the table just as I heard an explosion outside and a chunk of cement slew through my kitchen window. That’s when the screaming started across the street,” said Beamer.

Hayward firefighters used ropes to stabilize the auto supply shop, conducting a search of the building and capped a gas line after detecting a gas leak at the sight.

“Twenty-one fire personnel, 12 police and five American Red Cross workers responded to the building collapse, with some arriving within four minutes of the quake,” Vu said.

“People as far south as Los Angeles and as far north as Redding  felt the quake,” Gertz said.