The Camp Fire, which began on November 8, 2018, became the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. It devastated Paradise, Calif., and surrounding areas, destroying critical utility infrastructure and disrupting essential services. Paxon mobilized its disaster recovery team within six days, deploying field QC inspectors and project managers to support emergency restoration of gas transmission and distribution systems.
The Camp Fire, which began on Nov. 8, 2018, became the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history. It also ranked as the deadliest wildfire in the United States. The fire devastated Paradise, Calif., and surrounding areas. It destroyed critical utility infrastructure and disrupted essential services.
The utility required immediate support to assess damage, restore operations, and ensure safety across both gas transmission and distribution systems.
Deadliest wildfire in California history
Critical gas systems disrupted
Utility required rapid deployment
Gas transmission and distribution at risk
Paxon mobilized its Disaster Recovery team within six days of the fire’s outbreak. Field quality control inspectors and project managers deployed to Butte County to support the utility’s emergency response. Chief inspectors supervised field teams and maintained responsibility for work quality and reporting accuracy.
Disaster recovery team deployed to Butte County within six days of the fire’s outbreak, with field QC inspectors and project managers on-site to support the utility’s emergency response.
Inspectors prepared and reviewed safety plans, executed medium- and high-risk field activities, and completed inspection documents on the same day as fieldwork.
Conducted quality assurance reviews of construction and as-built documents, compared records against remaining infrastructure, and verified critical documentation accuracy.
Collaborated with stakeholders to confirm document accuracy and completeness. Established checklists, uploaded records to Unifier, and trained field personnel to identify discrepancies.
Paxon’s rapid deployment and structured field oversight enabled the utility to restore operations and meet safety standards. The team ensured accurate documentation, supported emergency planning, and upheld quality across all inspection activities. Paxon’s involvement strengthened the utility’s response and recovery efforts, reduced risk, and reinforced infrastructure integrity in the aftermath of the Camp Fire.
Wildfire mitigation, ROW vegetation programs, danger tree removal, and compliance-driven vegetation management to protect critical utility infrastructure.
Field QC inspection, safety plan execution, construction oversight, as-built documentation review, and quality assurance across gas transmission and distribution systems.
Construction and inspection
Strategic Third-Party Inspection Management Initiative deploying 45+ inspectors within 30 days including coating, welding, and safety inspectors with zero lost days, zero recordable incidents, and 20% diversity spend across a $25M annual program.
Construction and inspection
Long-term third-party inspection support with 100+ certified inspectors across gas transmission and distribution programs including casing remediation, inline inspection, pipe replacement, and emergency response with zero lost days and zero recordable incidents.
Whether you’re preparing for the unexpected or responding to an active event, our disaster recovery team is ready to deploy with the expertise and speed your operations demand.