US President George W Bush has declared a major disaster in four counties of southern California as 7,000 firefighters from across the United States continue to battle a series of wildfires.
Firefighters in California have reported some progress in their efforts to contain several wildfires in the south of the state which have left 15 people dead and destroyed over 1,000 homes.
The outbreaks, which have been fanned by strong desert winds, have also forced thousands of people from their houses into emergency shelters.
The largest fire was in the San Diego area, where nearly 250,000 acres were ablaze and nearly 600 buildings were destroyed.
A spokeswoman for the US Forestry Service, Ruth Winstrom, said while huge resources were being deployed to fight the fires, the weather was also a major factor.
