THE father of a man accused of starting the Churchill bushfire told a jury they recovered his son's burned out car the day after Black Saturday.

Kazimir Sokaluk said that on the morning of Black Saturday his son Brendan Sokaluk drove them to various shops in Morwell and Traralgon but the car was playing up, losing power and back firing because of the heat, the Herald Sun reports.

Mr Sokaluk senior said Brendan dropped him off and said he was going to Government Rd outside Churchill to visit a mate called Dave.

He told the Supreme Court later that afternoon he heard sirens and looked out of the window to see smoke coming the direction of Jerralong, the "sort of'' direction he believed Brendan had gone to visit his friend.

Brendan Sokaluk has pleaded not guilty to 10 counts of arson causing death and two counts of causing a bushfire over the blaze in Gippsland on February 7, 2009.

In his opening to the jury prosecutor Ray Elston said Brendan Sokaluk's distinctive HJ Holden car was seen travelling in Glendonald Rd at about 1.40pm and a short time later it was broken down at the side of the road.

Mr Elston said the fire had started at about 1.30pm at a junction of Glendonald Rd and Jelleffs Outlet, about 3km from the Churchill fire station.

Kazimir Sokaluk said on the afternoon of Black Saturday he contacted his son to tell him to stay at home but his son told him his car had broken down and he had been refused a lift by a passing fire truck and eventually had found a lift back into Churchill.

He said he later drove to Brendan's house with a tow rope and they went up towards Glendonald Rd, where they could see the fire, to try and recover the car but the road was blocked by police who told them to turn back.

Mr Sokaluk senior said that as they drove home his son said "I hope the car's alright''.

The following day they drove back towards where his son's car had broken down and Mr Sokaluk said they found it had been burned out.

Under cross examination from defence lawyer Jane Dixon SC Mr Sokaluk said his son had problems at school because he couldn't concentrate and it was only recently he had been diagnosed as being autistic.

Mr Sokaluk said he and his wife had to do their son's banking and pay his bills because he would spend all his money if given the chance.

The trial before Justice Paul Coghlan is continuing.

Read more at the Herald Sun.