By Maria Ortiz
Sep 20, 2024, 11:06 PM EDT
A Sonoma County Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) employee was arrested on Friday on suspicion of setting several wildfires over the past month, authorities said.
According to a statement from the agency, Robert Hernandez, 38, of Healdsburgwas arrested at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Mendocino County around 8 a.m. Friday. Hernandez works for Cal Fire as a fire apparatus engineer.
Hernandez faces charges related to several fires on state-owned forest lands in the Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor areas.
Hernandez allegedly started the fires while off-duty.
Specifically, He is accused of having started fires on August 15 and September 8, 12 and 14.
Neither fire grew to a large size and burned less than an acre of land, thanks to the quick action of local firefighters.
“I am dismayed to learn that one of our employees would violate the public trust and attempt to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of the department,” said Cal Fire Director and Chief Joe Tyler, in a statement.
California firefighters have been busy this summer battling several large wildfires fueled by high temperatures.
Hernandez is expected to be arraigned at the Sonoma County Jail on charges of arson on forest land, but was not yet listed on the jail roster as of early Friday afternoon. It is not known if Hernandez has secured an attorney.
Earlier this month, a 34-year-old man was arrested in connection with the ongoing Line Fire in San Bernardino County. He faces nine charges, including charges related to arson that caused more than $7 million in damage, caused great bodily injury to a firefighter who suffered a broken ankle and also caused the destruction of a home in the Running Springs community, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said.
As of Sept. 1, Cal Fire law enforcement officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year, the agency said. Since 2016, Cal Fire has arrested 923 suspected arsonists.
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