Earthquake Warning Prompts Evacuations in San Francisco [Video]

San Francisco residents are evacuating after a 7.0 magnitude earthquake struck off the coast of Northern California on Thursday.

The quake struck about 40 miles west of Petrolia, a small unincorporated community in Humboldt County, at 10:44 a.m. local time, according to the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). It triggered a tsunami warning for parts of the coastline, including the San Francisco Bay Area. But the warning has since been lifted.

Aerial footage of the Bay Area from CBS News that circulated on social media showed bumper-to-bumper traffic on a highway by the coastline.

The city of Berkeley located on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay issued an evacuation order during the tsunami threat, telling residents in the western part of the city to immediately head east.

“Tsunami coming to West Berkeley. EVACUATE NOW. Stay east of 7th St. See http://tsunami.gov. Immediate threat to life. This is a lawful order to leave now. The area is lawfully closed to public access,” the citywide alert read.

The Bay Area’s rapid …