To rebuild or not in Yorba Linda
From the second-story bedroom of his damaged house in Yorba Linda, Joe Miller gazes across Aviemore Drive to neighboring homes destroyed in November’s wildfire. When the firestorm struck, he had just spent tens of thousands of dollars remodeling his house. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
Across the street from his house, Miller, right, chats with a site foreman drilling soil samples at a home that was destroyed in the fire. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
The scene along Aviemore Drive. Rebuilding has yet to begin on any of the destroyed houses on the street. (Don Bartletti / Los Angeles Times)
A worker clears debris from a burned house. Hollowed-out homes with see-through vistas of snow-capped mountains stand alongside lots that have been scraped clean and appear ready to be rebuilt on. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A melted backyard light attests to the ferocity of November’s fire. Grass sprouting on blackened hills hint at the recovery to come. Gutted cars slowly turning orange with rust speak to how tedious the process will be. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A burned house awaits demolition. Owners of homes destroyed by the fire are navigating the thicket of insurance appraisers, salvage companies and building contractors in their efforts to recover from the disaster. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
The charred remains of a burned home wait to be hauled away. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
A worker walks past charred trees in Yorba Linda. The snow-capped San Gabriel Mountains loom in the background. (Luis Sinco / Los Angeles Times)
