A California firefighter has been arrested on suspicion of arson for allegedly starting a series of small fires in the state’s wine country, officials said Friday.
Robert Hernandez, 38, is accused of setting five fires while off duty between August 15 and September 14, according to a statement from the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire). Hernandez, who works as a Cal Fire apparatus engineer, is alleged to have ignited the fires near Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor. Fortunately, the combined damage from the blazes covered less than one acre of wildland and was quickly contained, thanks to the swift actions of local residents and fire crews.
Cal Fire’s director, Joe Tyler, expressed outrage at the allegations, stating, “I am appalled to learn one of our employees would violate the public’s trust and attempt to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of Cal Fire.”
Hernandez faces five counts of arson to forest land and is currently being held on $2 million bail, according to jail records. It is unclear if he has legal representation at this time.
The area where Hernandez is accused of setting the fires, located just north of San Francisco, has seen devastating wildfires in recent years. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire killed 22 people and destroyed nearly 6,000 homes and businesses. Three years later, the Glass Fire damaged or destroyed almost 3,000 buildings.
In 2020, wildfires ravaged more than 4 million acres across California, setting a record for the most acres burned in modern history. This year, nearly one million acres have already been scorched, including fast-moving fires in Southern California that have forced thousands to evacuate and threatened tens of thousands of homes in San Bernardino County.
