A member of a California fire department has been accused of dereliction of duty and starting several fires in recent weeks.
CAL FIRE law enforcement officers arrested Robert Hernandez, 38, a CAL FIRE fire apparatus engineer, at the Howard Forest Fire Station Friday, and charged him with starting five fires while he was off duty.
This screenshot from Google Maps Street View shows the Howard Forest Fire Station in Willits, California, in Mendocino County.
Google Maps Street View
The fires burned through a combined area of less than an acre, according to CAL FIRE.
“I am appalled to learn that one of our employees would violate the public trust and attempt to smear the tireless work of the 12,000 men and women of CAL FIRE,” CAL FIRE Chief and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement.
Rodriguez is being investigated in connection with 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, CAL FIRE said.
In this Nov. 9, 2018, file photo, a Cal Fire firefighter drags a hose toward a burning home as the campfire moves through the area in Magalia, California.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, FILE
Attorney information for Hernandez was not immediately available. He was scheduled to be booked into the Sonoma County Jail on a wildland arson charge, investigators said.