Bay Area quake shatters glass; no injuries reported

BERKELEY, Calif. -- A light earthquake jolted the San Francisco Bay area Friday, breaking glass and jarring nerves, but no injuries were reported.

The 4.2-magnitude earthquake struck about 4:40 a.m. about two miles east of Oakland, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor was felt on both sides of the San Francisco Bay and lasted up to 10 seconds.

Residents east of San Francisco were shaken awake as pictures slipped from walls and objects tumbled.

Some businesses delayed opening because of broken windows, and Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reported that some customers in Oakland briefly lost power.

The earthquake was relatively minor, but it was widely felt because it was centered in a heavily populated area on the north segment of the Hayward fault, said USGS seismologist Steve Walter.

The tremor knocked items off store shelves and broke a few windows, including one at Dream Fluff Donuts, a neighborhood institution in the Elmwood district about a mile from the University of California, Berkeley campus.

Still, the business stayed open, with customers stopping by for coffee and freshly baked goods, many comparing notes on the early morning excitement.

"I sat bolt upright in bed," said neighborhood resident Hank Williams, who had a few pictures fall off walls. Something fell in front of his cat, "who was out the cat door and gone. The cat has left town," he said.