A man has been arrested for allegedly lighting bushfires in South Australia's Riverland area.
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Several fires were reported within seven hours at Katarapko Island and Bookpurnong Road, south of Berri, late on Saturday night and early Sunday morning.
Police patrols searched the area following reports a man was seen acting suspiciously, jumping in and out of the river.
A police helicopter spotted a man in the water at 1.30pm on Sunday and he was arrested.
The Bookpurnong man, 48, is undergoing a medical assessment but is expected to face charges including causing a bushfire.
In Victoria, a well-timed downpour helped firefighters bring a blaze that destroyed a home on the outskirts of Melbourne under control on Sunday.
Flames swept through rugged terrain at Montrose in Melbourne's outer east about 9pm on Saturday, sparking an emergency warning for residents in its path.
A home was lost and another significantly damaged after the out-of-control fire made a sudden run through the Ken Leversha Reserve.
The fire, which started about 1km west of the Mount Dandenong Observatory, had scorched 33 hectares as of Sunday morning.
The emergency warning was downgraded to a watch and act alert about 3.30am as some 200 firefighters, four helicopters and two bulldozers battled the blaze.
Rain fell over the fire ground as water bombers continued dousing burning trees on Sunday.
It was declared under control at 3.30pm with 26mm of rain recorded at Coldstream, just north of Montrose, since 9am.
Ground crews will remain on site as flames burn within containment lines.
"There was some concern that it may spot over and get over into the Dandenong Ranges, but I can't see that happening with the conditions today," Country Fire Authority incident controller Bernard Barbetti told ABC TV.
Montrose is one of several suburbs in the foothills of the Dandenongs, Melbourne's highest point.
About 25 residents took shelter in a relief centre at Kilsyth Sports Centre.
There were high fire danger ratings on Sunday for all nine Victorian districts as the end of the summer bushfire season approached.
High temperatures also have firefighters on high alert across vast swathes of NSW, including Sydney, ahead of an expected cool change on Sunday evening.
The fire risk is rated extreme for greater Sydney and the Southern Slopes, with total fire bans active in those regions and two others.
Australian Associated Press
