Huge California wildfire threatens desert homes near LA

The Bobcat Fire burns behind a Joshua tree in Juniper Hills, California (Ringo H.W. Chiu/AP)

An enormous wildfire that churned through mountains north-east of Los Angeles and into the Mojave Desert was still threatening homes on Monday and was one of more than two dozen major fires burning across California.

Five of the largest wildfires in state history are currently burning and more than 5,600 square miles have been charred, an area larger than the state of Connecticut, state governor Gavin Newsom said.