Owners of houses that burned in the city in last week's firestorms may have one less headache to worry about as they begin to rebuild.

Escondido is offering to demolish the remains of destroyed homes, clean up the debris, set up temporary fencing, and cut and haul away burned trees.

It's all part of a plan to help fire-affected families as much as possible, said Steve Nelson, Escondido's assistant city attorney, and to speed up the process of rebuilding.

“Our plan is to assign a customer representative from the city to each family,” Nelson said.

The effort may also save the city from any potential erosion, water-quality and safety issues, he said.

Families that agree to let the city help with the tasks also agree to reimburse it for the costs if they get money from their insurance companies or from FEMA for the work. If they don't get reimbursed, the families don't have to repay the city, Nelson said.

The city lost 35 homes in the fires, and 14 suffered damage. About 25 homes that burned on unincorporated county land just outside city limits are not eligible for the help.

The city estimates that each house could cost as much as $25,000 to clean up, Nelson said. But it doesn't expect to spend nearly that much, he said, and should recoup much of what it does spend with reimbursements.

The cleanup plan is modeled after a successful program established in Lake Tahoe last summer, Nelson said.

No homeowners have signed an agreement with the city yet, though the city is starting to see applications for demolition permits trickle in.

City Manager Clay Phillips said the city will expedite demolition and building permits, too.

Demolition permit fees are being waived, and building permit fees will be discounted, Nelson said.