Cal Fire engineer charged with arson after 5 fires in Sonoma County

A Sonoma County Cal Fire employee was arrested Friday on arson charges for allegedly setting several fires over the past month, officials said.

According to an agency statement, Robert Hernandez, 38, of Healdsburg, was arrested around 8 a.m. at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Mendocino County. Hernandez works for Cal Fire as a firefighting technician.

“I am appalled that one of our employees would abuse the public's trust and attempt to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of CAL FIRE,” said Joe Tyler, the agency's director and fire chief.

Officials say Hernandez is responsible for at least five fires in the Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor areas of Sonoma County. The fires include 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, which occurred on Sept. 14.

All five fires were started while Hernandez was off duty. In total, the fires burned less than an acre of land, which Cal Fire attributes to the quick response of residents and firefighting resources.

Hernandez is booked into the Sonoma County Jail on suspicion of arson on wooded property.

Cal Fire officials said their officers have arrested 91 suspected arsonists so far this month.

Anyone with information about arson is asked to call Cal Fire's Arson Hotline at 1-800-468-4408.