From emergency utility work to long-term rebuilding, experienced crane crews help move recovery forward.
A replacement power pole may be one of the first visible signs that a neighborhood is moving toward recovery. Before electricity can return, crews may need to remove damaged equipment, deliver replacement materials and lift heavy components into locations where access is limited and every movement requires coordination.
For families and businesses affected by wildfire, that work has a purpose beyond the construction site: helping make daily life possible again. The Crane Guys supports the utilities and contractors carrying out that work with crane operators, rigging, transportation and lift planning.
The Eaton and Palisades fires began on January 7, 2025, and devastated communities across Los Angeles County. The county’s anniversary fact sheet records more than 16,000 structures destroyed between the two fires, including residential, commercial and other buildings. The scale of those losses underscores why recovery extends well beyond containment. [1]
Crane support when communities need it most
During the early 2025 emergency, The Crane Guys mobilized cranes and certified operating personnel to support power restoration in areas affected by the Eaton and Palisades fires and destructive winds. Equipment deployed ranged from 22-ton self-loaders to 350-ton all-terrain cranes.
That response formed part of a much larger regional effort. On January 16, 2025, Southern California Edison reported that 3,500 utility, contractor and mutual-assistance personnel were working to repair damage and restore power. Its update also explained that inspection and repair had to precede re-energization where conditions or damaged equipment made restoration unsafe. [2]
The role of a crane provider is specific and essential: support the lifting operations that allow utility crews and construction partners to perform their work. Restoring an electrical system depends on coordinated responsibilities, with the utility directing electrical operations and the crane team planning and executing its assigned lifts.
Eight transmission poles in the Hollywood Hills
One project illustrates the demands of that coordination. Following fires in the Hollywood Hills at the beginning of 2025, The Crane Guys worked alongside Ferreira Power West on the replacement of eight H4 wood transmission poles measuring approximately 70 to 85 feet.
The work used 45-, 275- and 350-ton cranes. The project combined congested travel and setup areas, roads with grades exceeding 8 percent, high reaches over tall structures, inclement weather and demanding logistics.
Those conditions explain why successful crane service begins before equipment arrives. The route into a neighborhood, available setup space, ground conditions and location of the load all influence the lifting approach. A large crane may provide the reach a project requires, but the surrounding site still has to support the operation.
Experience across the electrical infrastructure network
The Crane Guys’ utility experience extends beyond wildfire assignments. Its project history includes direct crane services for Southern California Edison and the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, supporting power distribution, transmission, generation and substation maintenance.
We have also supported substation and generating-station maintenance and turnarounds, including major and minor plant outages in 2022, 2023 and 2025. That experience is essential to recovery projects involving coordinated equipment deliveries, planned lifting sequences and multiple contractor teams.
A larger fleet for the next phase of recovery
The Crane Guys now offer cranes from 22 tons to 550 tons, including a 550-ton crane with Mega Wing and luffer configurations. The expanded fleet gives project teams more options when evaluating heavy loads, elevated placement locations and demanding reach requirements.
Crane selection remains specific to the lift. A crane’s nominal tonnage is not its capacity at every radius or boom configuration. The load, rigging, reach, setup area and ground conditions must be evaluated together to determine a suitable crane and lifting plan.
Our supporting services include NCCCO and OECP certified operators, qualified riggers and signal people, specialty rigging, CAD and 3D-rendered crane lift plans, integrated traffic control, hauling, receiving and secure storage. Together, these capabilities help contractors coordinate the equipment, people and deliveries needed for a lift.
Supporting rebuilding after emergency restoration
Recovery continues after the first lights return. LADWP’s Pacific Palisades rebuilding page distinguishes emergency recovery from temporary reconstruction and permanent system improvements. It records completion of the temporary rebuild in July 2025, including 1,825 poles and 334,540 feet of conductor installed, while describing a separate permanent rebuilding program. Those are LADWP program totals, not quantities attributed to The Crane Guys. [3]
As recovery projects develop, potential crane applications include positioning replacement utility equipment, generators and pumps; lifting structural steel and prefabricated building components; and placing rooftop mechanical equipment. Each assignment depends on the contractor’s scope, site readiness and an approved lifting approach.
For private property owners rebuilding a home or business, early coordination between the general contractor and crane provider can help identify access restrictions and placement requirements before major materials arrive. For utilities and infrastructure contractors, the same planning can help align lifting work with deliveries, traffic control and scheduled construction activities.
Plan the lift that helps move recovery forward
Family owned and operated since 2006, The Crane Guys brings documented fire-recovery experience and an expanded fleet to the contractors and utilities rebuilding affected communities. The company offers 24-hour service and emergency response support, with mobilization coordinated around equipment availability, site access and project requirements.
To discuss a recovery or rebuilding project, provide the site location, load weight and dimensions, pickup and placement locations, access information, photos and anticipated schedule. That information gives the team a practical starting point for evaluating the lift and coordinating the supporting services.
Contact The Crane Guys at (562)777-0600 or request a quote to discuss crane service, rigging and transportation for your next restoration project.
