A MERBEIN man who lit a fire on a total fire ban day risked causing the sort of devastating bushfires now being experienced across the country, a court has been told.

Benjamin Halliday appeared before Mildura Magistrates' Court on Wednesday, charged with lighting a fire on a total fire ban day, March 29 last year.

A prosecutor from the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning (DELWP) ...