FIREFIGHTERS have made progress trying to control a wildfire that threatened homes and has been raging for days south of Los Angeles, officials said.

Aircraft have been making flight after flight, dumping water and retardant to protect Lake Elsinore and other foothill communities as the fire sweeps through the Cleveland National Forest.

The Holy Fire – named after Holy Jim Canyon, where it began last week – grew to nearly 33 square miles by Saturday. But firefighters also made progress, with containment rising from 10 to 29%.

However, over the weekend, six large new wildfires have erupted across the country, pushing the number of major active blazes nationwide to over 100, with more expected to break out sparked by lightning strikes on dry terrain.

More than 30,000 firefighters from across the US and nearly 140 from Australia and New Zealand, were battling the blazes that have consumed more than 1.6m acres (648,000 hectares), according to the National Interagency Coordination Center.

High temperatures and dry grass have made it difficult for firefighters to get a handle on the blazes.

The fires have scorched states from Washington to New Mexico, with California the hardest hit.