BEAUMONT (USA), Oct 28: A lull in hot, dry winds that had fuelled a deadly southern California wildfire gave fire-fighters a break on Saturday, but they warned residents to remain wary of the deadly, unpredictable blaze.

The arson fire near Palm Springs has killed four fire-fighters and injured six and consumed 16,150 hectares. Fire crews have managed to contain 40 per cent of it in the rugged and brush-choked terrain, despite seasonal Santa Ana winds that gusted to 72kph.

By morning, the huge plume of dark brown smoke over the mountains had diminished significantly, winds had calmed and fire-fighters were strengthening their containment lines.

One of the injured men remained on life support with burns over 90 per cent of his body. The reward for information about the arsonists who caused the blaze had risen to $500,000.

Fire crews who had spent the night battling the inferno near where the fire-fighters died said the area was desolated, but some homes had been saved.

“As we were driving through the area, it was pretty much a moonscape. We encountered a lot of structures that had been lost and some good saves,” said Jason Hosea from the City of Long Beach fire department.

“We knew what the situation was prior to being deployed. All of our crews had an extra sense that it was dangerous.”

Department of Forestry spokesman Joel Vela said Saturday was a pivotal day. “We are trying to take advantage of the lull in the weather to improve all containment lines and make contingency plans.”—Reuters