As flames linger, talk turns to rebuilding Los Angeles neighbourhoods leveled by wildfires [Video]

Staggered after one of the most destructive natural disasters in Southern California history, thousands of heartbroken families, burned-out business owners and beleaguered leaders across Los Angeles County are confronting another monumental task: rebuilding what was lost and charting a path forward.

The scale of the effort will be vast – the area scorched by the major fires is equal to three times the size of Manhattan.

Alex Rosewood and nearly her entire family in Altadena, northeast of Los Angeles, lost their homes – her father, whom she and her husband were living with, and her aunt, uncle and cousin next door.

Lost were the keepsakes of a lifetime: Rosewood’s grandmother’s playing cards and unfinished quilt. Her wedding photos. Heirlooms from her grandfather, who served in the Navy. All things she wished she could have saved in their frantic flight as smoke turned the sky grey and her cousin’s house began to catch fire.

But Altadena remains home.

“We all plan to rebuild, for sure,” she …