Some new lines are now coming from the White House, with Joe Biden vowing the government will cover the full cost of firefighting in LA for the next 180 days.

NBC News reports tht the president said Governor Gavin Newsom requested an increase in funding this morning.

Viral videos available online show the moment Mr Newsom told a concerned mother confronting him on the street that he was getting in touch with the president at that very moment.

And Mr Biden has now responded.

‘Spare no expense’, Biden tells California governor as he promises to cover ‘100%’ of cost

Some new lines are now coming from the White House, with Joe Biden vowing the government will cover the full cost of firefighting in LA for the next 180 days.

Our US partner network NBC News reports the president said Governor Gavin Newsom requested an increase in funding this morning.

We filmed the moment Mr Newsom told a concerned mother confronting him on the street that he was getting in touch with the president at that very moment – see our 20.26 post.

And Mr Biden has now said he has responded.

“I want to underscore I told the governor and local officials, spare no expense to do what they need to do and contain these fires,” Mr Biden said.

NBC reports some of the federal help will go to cash assistance to cover immediate needs, such as food, while other allocations will go to fire management and debris removal. 

Vice-president Kamala Harris described the fires as “apocalyptic”, adding the fallout will echo for months and years to come.

“I will also make note of the fact that, sadly, many insurance companies have cancelled insurance for a lot of the families who have been affected,” she said.

Private drones ‘posing danger to firefighting aircraft’

Private drones are a hazard for firefighters working in the air, the US Forest Service said.

In comments reported by our US partner network NBC News, the group said they have to be “mindful” of that danger.

“You also unfortunately have drones in the air, which is a concern to our pilots and to the safety of the aircraft, so we have to be mindful of that,” the body’s chief Randy Moore said.

Fire agencies in southern California often warn about the potential for private drones interfering with aircraft.

In 2015, as a fire closed in on a motorway in the Cajon Pass, drones caused firefighting aircraft to leave the area for about 20 minutes.