An employee of California’s state fire protection agency has been arrested on suspicion of igniting five forest fires in northern California in recent weeks. Local authorities confirmed the arrest of Robert Hernandez, a 38-year-old apparatus engineer at Cal Fire, who now faces five counts of arson. He is scheduled to appear in court on Tuesday.
Hernandez is believed to have sparked these fires while off duty between August 15 and September 14, in regions spanning Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor, located 56-62 miles north of San Francisco. Fortunately, prompt action by firefighters and local residents resulted in minimal damage, with less than an acre of wildland affected by the blazes.
Cal Fire agency chief Joe Tyler expressed his dismay regarding the situation, 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 was arrested and booked into Sonoma County Jail on Friday. His role at Cal Fire involved operating and maintaining fire engines and water tanks during emergency operations.
This incident occurs amidst a summer marked by severe wildfires in California, with nearly three times the acreage burned compared to all of 2023. In a separate case, a 34-year-old delivery driver recently pleaded not guilty to 11 arson-related charges in southern California, linked to a major wildfire known as the Line Fire, which affected 61 square miles in the San Bernardino mountains east of Los Angeles.
