Alaska was rocked by a 7.1-magnitude earthquake that struck early Sunday morning.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, the earthquake hit around 1:30 a.m. local time in south-central Alaska and was centered 53 miles west of Anchor Point in the Kenai Peninsula, which is 162 miles southwest of Anchorage. It was about 50 miles deep, reports CNN.

About two hours later, a magnitude-4.3 aftershock hit the Cook Inlet, in addition to another smaller earthquake with a 3.2 magnitude.

Although the quake sent a jolt of fear to residents in the region, it fortunately caused no fatalities and minimum damage.

"When it hit, it was just soft at first, and it just kept getting bigger," said Joshua Veldstra of Homer, who said the earthquake lasted about 30 seconds, reports NBC News. "It was one of those moments where you didn't' know if it was going to get worse or if it was going to calm down."

Meanwhile, 30 homes in Kenai had to be evacuated due to a gas leak in the community. According to Kenai Police Chief Gus Sandahl, there was a fire at a home shortly after the earthquake hit, which was extinguished by the fire department.

"Residents smelled gas so police and fire evacuated residents in surrounding homes," Sandahl told NBC News. "Hours after that, between 5 a.m. and 6 a.m., there was an explosion at a different residence."

"They're still trying to resolve the gas issue," she said.

The earthquake was also widely felt miles away Anchorage by residents like Ron Barta, who said his home shook around 1:34 a.m. when the earthquake hit.

"I was sitting here with the dogs getting ready to go to bed about 1:34 local time. ... I felt a little rumble that didn't quit for about 30 to 45 seconds. It felt like the house moved," said Barta.

Likewise, Vincent Nusunginya, 34, of Kenai described the frightening moment as "unsettling" when he felt the violent shaking.

"It started out as a shaking and it seemed very much like a normal earthquake. But then it started to feel like a normal swaying, like a very smooth side-to-side swaying," said Nusunginya, director of audience at the Peninsula Clarion newspaper. "It was unsettling. Some things got knocked over, but there was no damage."

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