A California firefighter has been arrested by one of their own after he was accused of setting five blazes in the state’s wine country in recent weeks.
Robert Matthew Hernandez, a 38-year-old fire apparatus engineer of Healdsburg, California, was arrested on Friday by Cal Fire law enforcement officers on suspicion of arson at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Mendocino County.
His arrest comes even as his fellow firefighters continue to battle flames that have consumed almost a million acres and forced thousands of evacuations in the state this year.
Hernandez was accused of setting five fires between August 15 and September 14 while off-duty in forest land near Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) said.
They include the Alexander Fire on August 15; the Windsor River Road Fire on September 8; the Geysers Fire on September 12; and the Geyser and Kinley fires on September 14.
Robert Matthew Hernandez, pictured, a 38-year-old California firefighter has been arrested after he was accused of setting five blazes in the state’s wine country in recent weeks
The arrest comes even as his fellow firefighters continue to battle flames that have consumed almost a million acres and forced thousands of evacuations in the state this year
‘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,’ Joe Tyler, the agency’s director and fire chief, said in a statement.
Hernandez allegedly ignited the blazes in Sonoma County, known for its wines and vineyards.
The fires were all extinguished by fire crews and burned less than one acre combined thanks to the quick action of residents and firefighters, according to the fire agency.
It was down to the ‘vigilance’ of residents that the agency was able to help catch Hernandez.
A Cal Fire spokesperson said the agency would not provide further details at this time and said that any motive was unclear.
Hernandez is an apparatus engineer with the agency, which entails operating and maintaining fire engines and water tanks during emergency responses.
Division Chief Cyndi Foreman said: ‘It’s a tough pill to swallow for all of us. That someone that’s supposed to be out in the community protecting us. But they’re actually putting us all at risk.’
Hernandez was arrested on Friday by Cal Fire law enforcement officers on suspicion of arson at the Howard Forest Fire Station, pictured
He was formally charged with five counts of arson to forest land. Hernandez was being held in lieu of $2 million bail in the Sonoma County Jail on Saturday, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office. Hernandez is expected in court on Tuesday.
His estranged wife, who did not want to give her name said she was ‘speechless’ to learn about the allegations.
‘I’m 100 percent in shock,’ she told ABC7. ‘It’s a tough pill to swallow for all of us,’
Division Chief Cyndi Foreman of the Sonoma County Fire District said: ‘That’s someone that’s supposed to be out in the community protecting us. But they’re actually putting us all at risk.’
Meanwhile, wildfires are still raging across the state.
Three blazes in mountains around Los Angeles have destroyed more than 230 houses and other structures, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate suburbs and towns since September 5.
California wildfires have so far this year burned nearly four times as much land as last year at this time when the state’s fire season was more benign, according to Cal Fire data.
Bone-dry vegetation amid record heat blamed on climate change has been making fires worse, according to climate scientists.
The National Volunteer Fire Council notes how there is no national data collection system for firefighter arson cases.
‘Without an official source for data on firefighter arsonists, researchers, fire service leaders, and investigators are forced to extrapolate based upon samples of known cases,’ the report said. ‘A survey of news articles suggest that over 100 firefighters a year are arrested for arson.’
As of September 1, Cal Fire law enforcement officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year, the agency said.
It was down to the ‘vigilance’ of residents that the agency was able to help catch Hernandez whose fired burned a total of less than one acre
As of September 1, Cal Fire law enforcement officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year, the agency said. Above, firefighters work to control the Park Fire in July started by arson
Last Tuesday, a delivery driver pleaded not guilty to starting the massive Line Fire on Sepember. 5. The blaze forced the evacuation of thousands of people east of Los Angeles, injured a firefighter and destroyed a home.
Justin Wayne Halstenberg, 34, was charged with 11 arson-related crimes, court records show.
Authorities said Halstenberg, of Norco, attempted to start three fires within an hour.
Two of the blazes were extinguished by firefighters and a good Samaritan, and a third became the Line Fire, which has charred 61 square miles in the San Bernardino mountains. It was 60 percent contained on Saturday.
In July, a man was arrested on suspicion of starting the Park Fire in Northern California by pushing a burning car into a gully.
Ronnie Dean Stout was charged with felony arson of an inhabited structure or property. He pleaded not guilty.