Heartbroken families, displaced business owners and jolted community leaders are facing the daunting challenge of rebuilding in areas gutted over the past week by the massive wildfires in Los Angeles County.

Drone images captured over the area display the sweeping devastation left behind as the Palisades fire tore through beachfront homes in Malibu.

The photos, by SCNG staff photographer Jeff Gritchen, were shot with Federal Aviation Administration authorization and the cooperation of Cal Fire. Drones were allowed into the area, but only with permission, on Wednesday after being banned amid safety concerns as the fires raged. The photos display the unprecedented impact on the community, with rows of once-thriving businesses and palatial seaside homes turned to gray mounds of rubble.

Southern California News Group photojournalist Jeff Gritchen is a licensed Part 107 pilot with the FAA.