California firefighter Robert Hernandez was arrested by California Fire Department officials on suspicion of arson on forest property.

MENDOCINO COUNTY, Calif. – A Cal Fire firefighter was arrested Friday morning on suspicion of starting five separate wildfires in the state over the past six weeks.

Fire engineer Robert Hernandez, 38, was arrested by Cal Fire Law Enforcement officers at a fire station in Mendocino County, California, on suspicion of “arson on forest property,” according to a press release from the agency.

“I am appalled that one of our employees abused the public's trust and attempted to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of CAL FIRE,” Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in the release, noting that residents' “vigilance” helped the agency catch Hernandez.

Hernandez is suspected of intentionally setting five separate fires while off duty between August 15 and September 14, the release said. All of the fires occurred in Sonoma County.

Thanks to the quick response of local residents and firefighting teams, the damage caused by these fires was minimized, Cal Fire said, as the fires burned only one hectare of land in total.

The National Volunteer Fire Council found in a 2016 report that there is no national data collection system for arsons committed by firefighters.

“Without an official source of data on arson among firefighters, researchers, fire department leaders and investigators are forced to extrapolate from samples of known cases,” the report said. “An examination of newspaper articles suggests that over 100 firefighters are arrested for arson each year.”

Hernandez is scheduled to be booked into the Sonoma County Jail on charges of arson on wooded property, but was not on the jail roster as of early Friday afternoon. It is unclear if Hernandez has an attorney.

Earlier this month, a 34-year-old man was arrested in connection with the ongoing Line Fire in San Bernardino County. He faces nine counts, including arson causing more than $7 million in damage, aggravated assault on a firefighter who broke his ankle, and the destruction of a home in the Running Springs community, San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson said.

As of Sept. 1, Cal Fire officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists this year, the agency said. Since 2016, Cal Fire has arrested 923 suspected arsonists.

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