California found itself in the throes of a natural disaster on Friday morning when it was struck by an earthquake, all while contending with the deadliest wildfires the state has faced in recent memory. The earth shook with a significant force of 3.7 magnitude, centered near the bustling San Francisco Bay area at roughly 7:02 a.m. PT.

The epicenter of this tremor was pinpointed approximately five miles southwest of the iconic Golden Gate Bridge and two miles to the west of the well-known Great Highway. It’s a noteworthy reminder of California’s precarious position along the San Andreas Fault line, an infamous fracture stretching from Cape Mendocino in the north down to the Salton Sea in the south.

According to data from the US Geological Survey, the quake was felt by over 5,000 individuals in the vicinity, with reports continuing to surge. This initial quake was soon tailed by a notable 2.2 magnitude aftershock, occurring just about four minutes later in the same area. Not long after, another tremor of 2.5 magnitude was recorded six minutes following the primary shock.

Meanwhile, some 350 miles away in Los Angeles, the landscape is ablaze with devastating wildfires that have sadly taken the lives of nearly ten individuals and compelled the evacuation of about 180,000 residents.

On that fateful Friday morning, more than 10,000 structures were reported to have succumbed to flames, with a staggering 29,053 acres of terrain cleared by fire in what has become one of the most catastrophic events to hit the Los Angeles area in recent times.