California firefighter accused of setting fires in wine country
A California firefighter was arrested on suspicion of arson in a series of small fires that burned in wine country in recent weeks, officials said Friday.
A California firefighter was arrested on suspicion of arson in a series of small fires that burned in wine country in recent weeks, officials said Friday.
Robert Hernandez, 38, was accused of setting five fires between Aug. 15 and Sept. 14 while off-duty, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in a news release.
Hernadez, a Cal Fire apparatus engineer, allegedly ignited the blazes around Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor, the department said.
The fires combined burned less than one acre of wildland, the department said, noting that the fires were extinguished because of the “quick actions of residents and fire suppression resources.”
“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,” the department’s director, Joe Tyler, said in a statement.
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