A Cal Fire employee was taken into custody under suspicion of purposefully setting fires in Northern California. Robert Hernandez, age 38, and a Cal Fire apparatus engineer was arrested on charges of arson on forestland, according to statements from the agency.
The San Francisco Chronicle reported that Hernandez was apprehended yesterday at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Healdsburg. It was here where he allegedly set a sequence of five fires near Healdsburg, Windsor, and Geyserville while off duty, cumulatively burning less than an acre due to the swift response of local firefighters and residents.
From August 15 to September 14, these incidents mark a troubling trend of fire-related crimes recently uncovered in California. Cal Fire's leadership expressed their dismay in response to this latest arrest. "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," Fire Chief Joe Tyler stated in a release obtained by ABC News.
This incident is not isolated, with other arson-related activities casting a long shadow over California's fire season. ABC News also detailed the charges faced by Justin Wayne Halstenberg, a delivery driver who pleaded not guilty to starting the Line Fire on September 5, a fire which led to evacuations and injury. Meanwhile, in July, Ronnie Dean Stout faced accusations of setting the Park Fire by pushing a burning car into a valley.
Cal Fire informed the press that they have arrested 91 individuals on suspicion of arson since September 1, underscoring the gravity of the situation.
