Prolonged drought makes bushfires harder to deal with

Access to water during Australia's bushfire emergency is one of the major challenges confronting the country as the firefighting effort continues.

Firefighters hose down a burning woodpile during a bushfire in Werombi, 50km south west of Sydney Source: AAP

A prolonged drought in eastern Australia makes dealing with the bushfire emergency more difficult.

Take South Australia's Kangaroo Island as an example.

It's a similar situation in East Gippsland in Victoria which has been devastated by the fires.