A Cal Fire firefighter was caught early Friday morning on charges that he started five different wildfires in the state in the past six weeks.
A news statement from the agency says that 38-year-old fire apparatus engineer Robert Hernandez was arrested at a fire station in Mendocino County, California, on suspicion of “setting fire to forest land.”
Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in the release, “I am appalled to learn that 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.” He also said that residents’ “vigilance” had helped the agency catch Hernandez.
The report said Hernandez is thought to have started five fires on purpose while not working, between August 15 and September 14. Sonoma County was where all of the fires were.
Cal Fire said that quick actions by citizens and fire departments kept the damage from those fires to a minimum because they only burned an acre of land all together.
A 2016 report from the National Volunteer Fire Council said there is no national method for keeping track of firefighter arson cases.
The study said that since there isn’t a clear source of information on firefighter arsonists, researchers, fire service leaders, and investigators have to make assumptions based on examples of past cases. “A review of news stories suggests that more than 100 firefighters are arrested each year for setting fires.”
Hernandez is scheduled to be processed at the Sonoma County Jail on charges of setting forest land on fire, but as of early Friday afternoon, he was not yet on the jail’s list of inmates. It’s not clear if Hernandez has hired a lawyer.
Early this month, a 34-year-old guy was arrested in San Bernardino County in connection with the ongoing Line Fire. He is being charged with nine counts, including burning that caused more than $7 million in damage, hurt a firefighter badly enough to break his ankle, and destroyed a home in the Running Springs neighborhood, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson.
Cal Fire said that as of September 1, 91 people who were thought to be arsonists had been caught this year. Cal Fire has arrested 923 people since 2016 who they think set fires.