Additional Coverage:
A California firefighter, 38-year-old Robert Hernandez, has been arrested and charged with arson for allegedly setting five small fires in wine country between August and September.
Hernandez, an engineer with Cal Fire, reportedly ignited the fires around Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor while off-duty. The fires were extinguished quickly, burning less than an acre of land.
Cal Fire Director Joe Tyler expressed shock and disappointment, stating that Hernandez’s actions violated public trust and tarnished the work of the department’s personnel.
Hernandez faces five counts of arson to forest land and is being held on $2 million bail. It is unknown if he has an attorney.
The region where the fires occurred has experienced devastating wildfires in recent years, including the 2017 Tubbs Fire and 2020 Glass Fire. In 2020, over 4 million acres burned in California, setting a modern-day record.
This year, nearly one million acres have burned, including fast-moving blazes in Southern California that forced thousands of evacuations.