Police investigate three fires at Sunbury's Spavin Lake

POLICE are investigating whether three fires, which broke out in a reserve near Sunbury's Spavin Lake overnight, were deliberately lit.

A firefighter battling a grassfire which broke out on Racecourse Rd, Sunbury last week. Picture: Dennis Manktelow

POLICE are investigating whether three fires, which started near Spavin Lake in Sunbury overnight, were deliberately lit.

Resident Annie Chadwick told Leader she was woken by her 20-year-old son Hamish, who heard cracking sounds in his sleep at 4am.

The family raced outside to find flames just metres from their back fence.

"It was really scary and there were fire trucks going everywhere along the reserve," Ms Chadwick said.

"We kept seeing more flames."

Crews remained on the scene for more than two hours.

Ms Chadwick said a slight breeze could have pushed the blaze into their property.

Sunbury CFA senior station officer Stuart Cochrane said three fire trucks attended the fires, which were being investigated by Hume CIU detectives.

"The fires were all extinguished quickly and there was no threat to homes but we were fortunate it was benign conditions without much wind," he said.

Police have been going undercover in Hume recently to catch arsonists, with more than 30 deliberate or suspicious fires lit in the area since December.

During last week's heatwave, two major fires in Racecourse Rd and Moore Rd, threatened homes in Sunbury.