Braydon Poole, Jacob Whitehead and Robert Humphrey, all aged in their 20s, pleaded not guilty in the Bendigo Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday to multiple counts of arson in relation to the fires.

In giving evidence at the committal hearing, detective senior constable Steve Atkinson said some of the fires began in or near hay bales on the side of the Sunraysia Highway, but investigators had ruled out spontaneous combustion as a cause.

Senior Constable Atkinson told the court one fire in Bealiba on January 17 came within 15 metres of a farmhouse.

Magistrate Steven Raleigh said while there were “many, many issues” with the evidence presented at the hearing, he was satisfied it was sufficient for a trial to proceed.

Bail was extended for all three men who will each return to court on June 20.