The death toll from wildfires rampaging through southeastern Australia rose to 76 today, police said, making them the worst bushfires in the country's history.

The toll looked set to rise further as medics treated badly burned survivors and emergency crews made it through to more than 640 homes destroyed by the fires, some of which have been blamed on arsonists.

Thousands of survivors jammed community halls, schools and other makeshift accommodation as troops and firefighters battled to control huge blazes in Victoria state.

"Hell in all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours. Many good people lie dead, many injured," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told reporters as he ordered the deployment of army units to help the 3,000 firefighters battling the flames.

The latest death toll took the number of fatalities past the 75 who died in Victoria and neighbouring South Australia in 1983 in what became known as Ash Wednesday.

- AFP