Cal Fire firefighter arrested for allegedly starting 5 North Bay fires

HEALDSBURG, Calif. - A Cal Fire firefighter was arrested Friday for allegedly igniting five fires in the North Bay in recent weeks when he was off duty.   

At 8 a.m. Friday, Cal Fire law enforcement officers arrested 38-year-old Robert Hernandez of Healdsburg at the agency's Howard Forest station in Mendocino County on suspicion of arson to forest land in the areas surrounding Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor.

Fire officials believe Hernandez, a fire apparatus engineer, ignited the Alexander Fire on Aug. 15, the Windsor River Road Fire on Sept. 8, the Geysers Fire on Sept. 12, and the Geyser and Kinley fires on Sept. 14.

All five fires combined burned less than an acre of wildland due to quick actions of residents and fire suppression resources, Cal Fire said. Hernandez will be booked into Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of arson to forest land.

"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," Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement.

The agency thanked residents of the affected communities for their vigilance and information that helped in the apprehension of the suspect.

Cal Fire said people should be vigilant in their preparedness and aware of suspicious people when a fire starts. Suspicious activity should be reported including the time, individual's physical description, and a vehicle description, including the license plate number. They said always contact law enforcement instead of a suspicious person.

Anyone with information about arson is urged to contact the Cal Fire arson hotline at (800) 468-4408. Callers may remain anonymous.   

The agency's law enforcement officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year as of Sept. 1 and 923 since 2016. For more information, visit the Cal Fire website.