California Firefighter Accused of Setting Parts of Wine Country Ablaze While Off-Duty

An off-duty California firefighter has been accused of starting multiple fires in wine country over a month's span.

A firefighter walks away from flames that are quickly moving through trees during the Glass Fire in Calistoga, Calif., on Oct. 1, 2020. / Josh Edelson / AFP via Getty Images

Some regions of California have been battling massive wildfires throughout the summer as a drought mixed with rising temperatures led to rapid spread. That is enough for residents and fire personnel to deal with, but a person created some issues for his peers. 

A California firefighter has been accused of starting multiple fires in wine country between August 15th and September 14th while off-duty.

38-year-old Robert Hernandez is the suspect in these arson incidents, according to a news release shared by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, via Tim Stelloh of NBC News.

Blazes were reportedly lit near Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor with five in total being reported. Hernandez is a Cal Fire apparatus engineer, which makes these crimes even more head-scratching.

While the fires didn’t burn much land combined, as less than an acre was charred, credit should be given to the fast-acting residents. They extinguished the flames rapidly, saving the area from any more unnecessary 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,” the department’s director, Joe Tyler, said in a statement, via NBC News.

According to jail records records saw and shared by Stelloh, Hernandez is being held in lieu of $2 million bail and is accused of five counts of arson to forest land.

The area where he reportedly committed the crimes is just north of San Francisco and has a history of devastating wildfires in recent history. In 2017, the Tubbs Fire killed at least 22 people and destroyed almost 6,000 homes and businesses.

In 2020, the Glass Fire destroyed another 3,000 buildings. In that same year, nearly 4 million acres of land were burned, which is the largest number recorded in modern times according to Stelloh.

This year nearly 1 million acres have burned as a result of wildfires. Conditions are bad enough in the region without people such as Hernandez committing heinous crimes.

In addition to wildfires, parts of California are also dealing with severe landslides that are ruining communities.