The biggest wildfires in southern Californian history continue to threaten suburbs in the north of the Los Angeles area, and firefighters warn that the blazes will continue for the next fortnight.
Vast clouds of thick smoke can be seen from tourist hotspots such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and downtown LA, as the blaze dubbed the Station Fire burns out of control, 15 miles to the north.
About 12,000 homes along the base of the foothills of the Angeles National Forest are at risk, and as the fire eats into the San Gabriel Wilderness Area, US Forest Service incident commander Mike Dietrich admitted the inferno was a long way from being contained. "It's not good firefighting country," he said.
Residents of 10,000 homes have already been moved out as the Station Fire, which has destroyed 62 homes and 144,000 acres, creeps westwards. Firefighters admit that the blaze is less than 10% contained and forecast that it will burn until September 15.
Despite this, travellers heading to LA should not be put off, according to the state promotion board, Visit California, adding that the out-of-control inferno was still a long way from the usual tourist haunts.
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"It is still safe to travel to the state," it said. "The fires have not affected tourist areas or tourist attractions and we are not advising against travel."
However, the Foreign Office warns that "smoke and ash from the fire is causing poor air quality" in the Los Angeles basin. "You should monitor local media reports about this fire and follow the advice of local law-enforcement officials," it says.
Tour operators say that those booked to travel to Los Angeles should continue as planned, and that for those wishing to cancel, normal booking conditions apply.
Poor air quality is also affecting the Yosemite National Park, where the Big Meadow fire has so far destroyed nearly 7,000 acres of woodland. Yosemite staff said the park remained open to visitors but advised hikers to consult rangers before heading into the back country.
Virgin Holidays said it was contacting customers who were booked to visit the park. "Due to poor air quality within the Yosemite area, we are offering customers the opportunity to amend their itineraries if they wish, or to travel as planned," the company said.
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Russian roulette at Luton
Passengers booking EasyJet flights from Luton now face a one-in-five chance of their departure being cancelled, after the no-frills carrier announced a 20% cut in its schedule from the airport.
Despite announcing the cuts, EasyJet could not say exactly which routes would be affected, leaving passengers to take their chances and hope that their flight wouldn't be axed.
The airline blames Luton airport's "failure to recognise the commercial realities of the recession" for the cuts, which mount up to 240 flights a week, but tickets for all current schedules remain on sale, with seats bookable until March 31, 2010.
"We've lodged a 90-day consultation period that expires on December 4," says the airline. "Details of which services are to be cut will be released after that date. The nature of a consultation period is that it's business as usual, and that means that all flights will remain on sale."
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The airline says passengers whose flights are cancelled will receive full refunds or be offered seats on flights departing from other airports, but it won't cover incidental costs such as those arising from cancelled hotel reservations, car hire and pre-paid excursions, nor will it cover the extra cost of booking alternative flights at short notice.
The gamble may not be limited to Luton. EasyJet is also consulting on staff cuts at Belfast, Bristol, Newcastle and Stansted, although it says the number of aircraft at those airports is "expected to remain stable".