A Cal Fire employee was arrested Friday on suspicion of starting five small fires in the North Bay this summer, Cal Fire announced.
Robert Hernandez, 38, of Healdsburg will be booked into Sonoma County Jail on charges of arson to forest land in connection with the blazes in the Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor areas, Cal Fire said.
"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," Cal Fire Director/Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement.
Hernandez, a fire apparatus engineer, is accused of starting the following fires while he was off duty: 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, according to Cal Fire.
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"The press release that came out this morning is a hard pill for all of us to swallow," Sonoma County Division Chief Fire Marshal Cyndi Foreman said. "This is just very difficult information for all of us in the fire service."
Together, all five fires burned less than one acre of land, Cal Fire said, crediting the quick actions of residents and firefighters.
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Firefighters call the accusations unfathomable, especially in a community that has been ravaged by fire over the past decade and remains at high risk.
"It's pretty sad I have to say, it’s sad," Diana Elsbree of Windsor said.
She helped fund Sonoma County Fire district’s new fire wise demonstration garden that was unveiled Friday. Elsbree nearly lost her home during the 2019 Kincade Fire.
"Not only did they save the house, but they stayed there for five days outside in their truck to make sure there were no more startups happening," she said. "I was diagnosed with PTSD after this, so when fire season comes, I basically have PTSD over and over again."
Hernandez is being held on $2 million bail.
