Tremors felt in Connecticut

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - The U.S. Geological Survey says a 5.0 magnitude quake hit Canada and could be felt from Vermont to Connecticut.

It happened around a 1:45 p.m. Wednesday.

The earthquake lasted for about 30 seconds on the Ontario-Quebec border region of Canada. That's about 475 driving miles from the News 8 building on Elm Street in New Haven.

Many people in the state say they did feel the quake. Firefighters in the Capital City got a number of calls to check out shaking buildings. At first even they didn't know it was an earthquake.

Jadeane Gaetano Grant tells News 8 that, "We felt the quake on George St. in New Haven. The whole building was shaking."

Tom Barrett in Southington said, "Everything in the home started to bounce around including myself and my daughter."

The Hartford's office building in Windsor was evacuated after they felt tremors there.

An office building at 999 Asylum Street in Hartford was also evacuated.

"They said the building shook, and then I got up and said to my supervisor 'let's go,'" said Kara Bozeman of Hartford.

But not everyone who felt the shaking say an earthquake was not the first thought to cross their minds.

Hilda Lozada of West Hartford said, "I thought it was a gas leak blow up or something..."

"I thought it was an accident, like somebody hitting the building," said Kara Bozeman of Hartford.

News 8 spoke with an expert at Yale University and he says it was not in their heads; folks in Connecticut really did feel the earth move under their feet.

Professor Jeff Park said, “They felt it. The earthquake waves transmitted all throughout the planet and were large enough that when they reached here, some people in some situations would have felt it.”

At an office building on East Avenue in Norwalk the desks were moving, exposed pipes were swaying, and the floor was shaking.

Deputy Chief Edward Prescott with the Norwalk Fire Department, said, “Their desks were moving back and forth and it was unlike a vibration from a train, being alongside the train tracks here”

Firefighters and the building inspector examined the building and found no damage, just folks with a good story to tell.

Professor Park says there is also an intensity scale that measures the tremors. In Connecticut, on a scale from one to twelve, it was probably a one.

There were no reports of injuries or damage anywhere in the state.