Metallic grinding sounds mark the start of the day, as contractors report to work in Pacific Palisades and Altadena, California. One year after the fires, construction has begun on just about 500 of the more than 16,000 structures lost, with only a few homes fully rebuilt.

Karen Martinez is one of the lucky ones. Navigating the complex web of permits, insurance payouts and rising construction costs, she started rebuilding her home in Malibu in October.

Asked if it was an easy decision for her to break ground and rebuild, Martinez replied, "There were some moments in the very beginning where I was thinking about just selling the lot and moving on. I finally thought, 'Okay, I gotta do this. I have to educate all my neighbors on how to rebuild, and how to build back better.'"

For Martinez, that means using fire-resistant materials – a concrete composite that's cheaper than wood.

"I know there are going to be fires here," she said. "To me, if I can live in a home that's not going to burn, it's paradise!"

She says the surrounding construction noise is the sound of progress. "Yeah, love that sound!" she laughed.

Despite the sights and sounds of a comeback, 80% of fire survivors remain displaced, including chef Tyler Wells. The night of the fires, he was tending a different kind of flame – the hearth at his Altadena restaurant – when he realized he had lost his home.

"To look back on it and think about what that moment was like is so surreal," he said, "because it just doesn't seem possible. But we were still here cooking for people and taking care of people."

His restaurant sustained only minor damage. Neighboring buildings were destroyed.

Asked what goes through his mind when he arrives to his business still standing, Wells said, "Oh, man. A lot. A lot. One, it's probably survivor's guilt. Like, why is this still here? And then, truthfully, like, what do I do with a restaurant in the middle of a disaster zone? This was a neighborhood restaurant. It always has been. And now there's no neighborhood."

No neighborhood, but after months of contemplation, he reopened the restaurant, mainly to give his employees a job. He renamed it Betsy, after his late mother.

And business has been so good he's now building a second restaurant next door.

But he's not rebuilding his house. "The home I was in was a rental. And so, that is pretty simple math. But this is my home. It doesn't matter where I lay my head. I'm here all day."

For those who are trying to rebuild their homes, the process has been marred by insurance industry woes. Insurers aren't just fleeing; some of those that remain haven't paid up, leaving an estimated 70% of survivors facing delays or denials.

"The reality is that the insurance industry has been broken for a long time," said Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger. "And it's really unfortunate that it came to this, and that the survivors are the ones that are feeling, really, the system broken in a way that's impacting their ability to move on. Many are still waiting, are still fighting with insurance."

Barger is the local official responsible for Altadena's recovery. She says many families are already feeling pushed out, and critical federal funding to help rebuild is on hold as the government reviews an estimated $40 billion in aid.

"It's really unfortunate that the politics kind of took over on this," Berger said. "I need financial support for the survivors."

Still, as a year has passed, and with recovery funds hanging in the balance, chef Tyler Wells sees a flicker of hope. His establishment was named as one of the 15 best new restaurants in the country by Eater. Reservations are booked-up weeks in advance.

Many diners are fire victims.

"We try to meet people where they are and lead with empathy and say, 'Hey, you don't know, this person might be in halfway through a year-long fight with their insurance company,'" said Wells. "But what I've seen is there's a lot of optimism. There's a lot of people who have made peace with what happened. And people are finding these really beautiful ways to move forward and say, you know, 'Yeah, we had this house for 30 years and it was our family home and it was our dream home. But the garage door was crooked and it never closed.' And so, it's like they're finding opportunity in correcting some things."

Karen Martinez is one of those people. Insurance companies have begun offering discounts for building with the materials she got the county to approve, and she's trying to get her neighbors to use them, too – an opportunity to improve on what was, and to rebuild better.

I said, "You helped get this material recognized by the county. You are now helping make rebuilding safer, and also quicker through the permitting process. That's gotta feel good."

"It does," Martinez said. "I mean, it does, but there's a part of me that wishes so many more people would jump on board with, you know using, noncombustible materials."

"And before it's too late."

"Right, exactly," she said. "Yeah, because we will get more fires, you know? It's just a matter of time."

      
For more info:

• Betsy, Altadena, Calif.
• Los Angeles County Fifth District Supervisor Kathryn Barger
• Karen Martinez (palisadesfirerebuild) on Instagram:

      
Story produced by John Goodwin and Anthony Laudato. Editor: Jason Schmidt.