![It's been 40 years since the Ash Wednesday bushfires swept Australia's southeast (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS) It's been 40 years since the Ash Wednesday bushfires swept Australia's southeast (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/silverstone-feed-data/7932beda-1ee8-4759-bc49-63d8a077a3ac.jpg/r0_0_800_600_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
It's been 40 years since the Ash Wednesday bushfires swept Australia's southeast (Joel Carrett/AAP PHOTOS)
THE ASH WEDNESDAY BUSHFIRES - FEBRUARY 16, 1983:
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VICTORIA
* 47 people killed
* 2800 homes destroyed
* 210,000 hectares burnt
* Total damage bill estimated at more than $200 million
* More than 100 fires started that day, most sparked by arson or powerlines clashing in high winds
* More than 16,000 firefighters, 1000 police and 500 army personnel battled the fires
SOUTH AUSTRALIA
* 28 people killed
* 383 homes destroyed
* 208,000 hectares burnt
* Total damage bill estimated at more than $200m.
Australian Associated Press