A crane fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A homeowner removes a pet from her home as a crane lies between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A crane fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

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A worker looks at the underside of a crane that fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A crane fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)



A crane fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A worker looks at the underside of a crane that fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A crane fell between two houses on the 300 block of East 61st Street in North Long Beach on Monday, Oct. 7, 2019. The crane was being used to replace power poles in the rear of the home when it toppled over, possibly because the outriggers weren’t put out or they failed. (Photo by Scott Varley, Daily Breeze/SCNG)

A crane fell in a North Long Beach neighborhood on Monday afternoon, injuring one person, officials said.

Authorities responded at about 1 p.m. to reports of a fallen crane at the 300 block of 61st Street, Long Beach police spokeswoman Jennifer De Prez said. A man was reported to have suffered injuries to his upper torso.

Officers assisted in closing traffic lanes in the immediate area. Traffic lanes of 61st Street from Elm to De Forest avenues were expected to be closed for several hours.

Tammy Lafo, who has lived in her home on 61st Street for about 15 years, said that work was being done on the electrical towers near her home. She had been watching utility and construction workers going in and around her home, but got alarmed once she heard wood snapping and popping.

“It caught my attention so I just peaked outside of the door and saw (the crane) slowly just falling,” she said.

Lafo said she ran inside the house to make sure her family was OK.

“People were just running down the street,” she said. “Calling each other’s names, I guess to make sure they were OK.”

Lafo heard that one of her neighbors, who lives in the house that received the brunt of the crane fall, was the man who was injured. “He cut his head and scraped his arm,” Lafo said. “He was on the patio refilling his generator and at that point the crane fell.”

Other patios were damaged as well, she added

Southern California Edison was using a contractor to place a pole at the back of a residence when the incident occurred, spokeswoman Susan Cox said.

“SCE is reviewing and investigating the circumstances surrounding this incident,” Cox said.