BALLARAT police were out hunting potential arsonists yesterday as part of the ongoing Operation Firesetter, as temperatures skyrocketed to almost 40 degrees.As part of the operation, police also conduct targeted investigations into bushfire arson “persons of interest”.Local police members and visiting patrols from the Melbourne-based Operational Response Unit will target high- risk areas in the region throughout the summer, hoping to stave off potential life-threatening bushfires.On a day of total fire ban yesterday, police were patrolling tinder-dry areas in Ballarat.These included Canadian, Mt Helen and Mt Clear including the area devastated by a bushfire on New Year’s Eve in 2009.At 4.45pm on December 31, 2009, a fire was deliberately lit along Tinworth Avenue in Mt Clear.It was contained by 8pm, but not before it had burnt a shed, 31 hectares of bushland and threatened several properties. Hundreds of firefighters and seven water-bombing aircraft helped fight the fire in warm conditions.Two boys, 11 and 12, were charged with arson and causing a bushfire – a charge introduced following Black Saturday.At the site yesterday in scorching heat, Ballarat Police Sergeant David Collins said police didn’t want a repeat of the Mt Clear fire and were taking proactive steps to prevent a similar crime from occurring again.“It’s about being proactive so we can prevent something like that from happening again,” he said.“We’re patrolling right across the Ballarat police service area on days with a high fire danger.”Sergeant Collins said during the patrols, police were leaving notes on unattended cars, explaining that police had recorded the car’s whereabouts in the area.The Bureau of Meteorology forecasts temperatures today to reach 33 degrees but a total fire ban has not been declared by the CFA.Anyone who sees somebody starting a fire should call triple zero immediately, or anyone with information on the causes of past fires can call Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000.