Fire crews tackle California wildfires as US heatwave continues

A helicopter drops water on flames from the advancing Lake Fire in Los Olivos, California (Eric Thayer/AP)

A long-running heatwave that has already shattered previous records across the US will persist, baking parts of the West with dangerous temperatures that will soar throughout the week, forecasters said on Sunday.

In California, crews worked in sweltering conditions to battle a series of wildfires across the state.