Lack of forecast rains to prolong Australian bushfires threat

It was more bad news for firefighters battling wildfires in Australia after official weather forecasts showed that no substantial rain will come for at least three months.

Emergency services have been trying to contain more than 100 bushfires raging across the east coast.

Four people have been killed and hundreds of homes destroyed.

This former fire chief says they'd warned the government back in April about the dangers.

(SOUNDBITE) (English) FORMER NEW SOUTH WALES FIRE AND RESCUE COMMISSIONER, GREG MULLINS, SAYING:

"We're calling on the federal government to take emergency measures to equip our firefighters and emergency personnel with the tools they need to keep lives and properties safe. But we're also calling on the government to take urgent action on the fundamental problem that's leading to these catastrophic fires, and that's climate change."

The fires have been fuelled by tinder-dry conditions and three years of drought.

And experts also say it has been exacerbated by climate change - a factor that has sparked a sharp political debate in recent days.

Without that rainfall, firefighters warn the blazes will burn for weeks to come.