A FIRE that destroyed about half a hectare of scrub at Merbein Common overnight Monday is being treated as suspicious.

Firefighters were first alerted to the fire, downstream from the Merbein boat ramp, about 8pm Monday.

Mildura Fire Brigade was the first responder to the blaze and stopped the fire from spreading, but due to the terrain were unable to get pumpers close enough to extinguish the f...