California firefighter charged with arson after starting five wildfires, police say

Robert Hernandez, 38, facing six felony counts and being held on $2m bail

Horse huddle in a pen as smoke from the Line Fire fills the air Sept. 7, 2024 in Running Springs, California. A state firefighter was arrested on Friday for allegedly starting five separate wildfires in the state over the last two months. (Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)

A Californiafirefighter was arrested on Friday for allegedly starting five separate wildfires in the state over the last two months.

Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrested Robert Hernandez, 38, at a station in Mendocino County on suspicion of “arson to forest land”, according to the agency.

He is accused of starting multiple blazes while off duty, all in Sonoma County - 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. Together, the fires caused about an acre of damage.

"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," Cal Fire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement, which praised citizens and fire officials’ "vigilance" in helping capture the alleged arsonist.

Hernandez is facing six felony counts and has been detained on $2m bail. Jail records do not indicate if Hernandez has obtained a lawyer.

Hernandez’s estranged wife, who declined to be identified, told ABC7 she was “speechless” to learn about the allegations.

“I’m 100 percent in shock,” she said.

“It’s a tough pill to swallow for all of us,” Cyndi Foreman of the Sonoma County Fire District also told the outlet. “That’s someone that’s supposed to be out in the community protecting us. But they’re actually putting us all at risk.”

Hernandez is expected in court on Tuesday.

As of September 1, Cal Fire has arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year, the agency told CNN.

A 34-year-old from Norco, California, was arrested earlier this month by the San Bernadino County Sheriff’s Department for allegedly lighting the Line Fire, which has erupted into a monster blaze and burned nearly 40,000 acres.

A 2016 report from the National Volunteer Fire Council estimates that more than 100 firefighters in the U.S, are arrested on arson charges each year. Wildfires have burned nearly 1m acres in California in 2024, more than three times the total burned last year.