Image: Ulladulla Times

A man has been charged with deliberately trying to start a bushfire on the NSW South Coast yesterday.

At about 1.30pm, a motorist on the Princes Highway at Burrill Lake, just south of Ulladulla, noticed smoke and saw a man emerging from bushland.

Firefighters were called to the scene and managed to extinguish the blaze after a couple of hours but not before it burnt through more than 50 square metres of bush.

Police managed to track down the alleged arsonist to a nearby home on Canberra Crescent and arrested the 48-year-old.

He’s been charged with two counts of intentionally cause fire and be reckless as to its spread.

It’s alleged the man is responsible for another fire lit in the same area more than two years ago.

He’s been granted conditional bail until his court appearance in March.

Elsewhere, four RFS firefighters have been hospitalised after a tree landed on their tanker.

The crew was battling the Orroral Valley fire in the ACT at about 10.45pm when the incident took place.

All four patients were taken to Canberra Hospital for treatment to non-life threatening injuries.

All crews were withdrawn from the fire ground after the incident and have been debriefed.