Containing wildfires—never mind extinguishing them—in parched and windy conditions can be monstrously difficult. Dry vegetation is rocket fuel for blazes and wind both feeds the flames and spreads the embers. “The winds are like pointing an air blower at a fireplace,” says Gershunov, “except it’s not contained and it’s on a much larger scale.”

Heartbroken families, burned-out business owners and beleaguered Los Angeles leaders are beginning to ponder a monumental task: rebuilding what was lost in the Southern California wildfires