Long road to recovery after devastating California wildfire

(AP) — A real estate agent waits to rebuild her home on the same lot she fled in September, mourning the animals she couldn't save and the family heirlooms she left behind as one of the most devastating wildfires to hit California wiped out her rural subdivision.

Five months after the Valley Fire killed four and wiped out 1,300 homes in Lake County, many residents face personal and logistical hurdles that put full recovery years away, if ever, for some.

The county of 64,000 people is renowned for its remote beauty, privacy and an outdoor recreation industry centered on Clear Lake, the largest freshwater lake entirely within California.

"A lot of the people are on the fence about rebuilding and a lot of it has to do with the sheer devastation of it all," said Jessyca Lytle, after a particularly contentious recovery task force meeting last month.

Lake County officials are trying to get their arms around a recovery complicated by terrain ranging from tidy lots in downtown Middletown to off-the-grid homes along rutted roads that themselves need repair.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has registered more than 2,600 households in Lake County requesting help and approved more than $6.7 million for housing assistance and other needs.