Wednesday was the first full day residents could come into the areas hit hardest by the Erskine Fire.
Family and friends drove around the South Lake neighborhood and said it was unrecognizable, having only the street signs to prove where they were.
Several families brought equipment to dig through the rubble, working against the scorching day, to try and find memories underneath a mangled roof.
"We know my grandpa's ashes are in that corner right there on that shelf. That's what I'm looking for right now," Malynnda Stcyr said.
The double wide that she was digging through with gardening tools, now sits with a roof about a foot and a half off the ground, a burned tree in the front yard hanging over the metal outline of a porch swing and scattered small statuettes in bits and pieces.
Stcyr has fond memories in her grandmother's home and she says it's hard to look at it now. The hardest part to her, is knowing her grandmother's pets are most likely still inside.
Next door, the Rotarius family is also sifting through the ashes. The son, Jordan, lifted up the roof, happily surprised to find some of his mother's china still intact.
As he walked around the home, describing what it used to be like, he said he felt numb.
"I see it, and I believe that it happened, but I'm still kind of I don't know, numb that it happened," he said.
Firefighters are nervous about residents being in the area, as there are still some hot spots days after the fire swept through and worried about toxic chemicals that mixed and melted in the fire.
As Jordan's family was walking around the property, they started to smell what might have been propane and in an instant, decided it was time to get out.
Families in the area devastated by the fire are now working on insurance claims and grappling with the decision of whether they will rebuild.
For the Rotarius family, it's a no-brainer. They want to rebuild, but are devastated that they do not have insurance.
Next door, Malynnda's grandmother said it would depend on who is willing to rebuild.
Kern County Fire PIO Tyler Townsend said it will take years, if possible, to make this neighborhood resemble what it was before the Erskine fire.
