Los Angeles, California - The death toll from wildfires in the Los Angeles area has risen to five, US media reported on Wednesday, citing the Los Angeles county sheriff's department.

Five wildfires are burning across the Los Angeles area, including the Palisades fire, which is the largest, having burned more than 15,800 acres, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.

A state of emergency has been declared, with at least 70,000 people ordered to evacuate the area, PA Media reported.

President Joe Biden declared the fire-affected region in California a disaster area. The president's action makes federal funding available to those affected by the fires.

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Deputy Pentagon press secretary Sabrina Singh told media additional firefighting personnel and equipment would be sent to California.

However, she warned that current weather conditions were hampering firefighting efforts.

"Right now, we can't even get assets up in the air because the fires are so bad and the winds are so bad," Singh said.

"Until we can get more assets in the air, there's only so much we can provide; so, we're going to be standing by to support in every single way that we can," she added.

The wildfires are one of the worst in the history of Los Angeles, with more than 1,000 buildings destroyed.