MJP —
The California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) arrested a fireman early Friday on suspicion of sparking five separate wildfires in the state in the past six weeks.
At a fire station in Mendocino County, California, Cal Fire Law Enforcement agents detained 38-year-old fire apparatus engineer Robert Hernandez on suspicion of “arson to forest land,” as stated in a news release from the department.
Joe Tyler, director and fire chief, expressed his dismay that an employee would betray the public’s confidence and try to disgrace the 12,000 firefighters who work tirelessly for CAL FIRE. He also acknowledged that the “vigilance” of the local population had played a role in the agency’s successful capture of Hernandez.
Hernandez is allegedly responsible for deliberately igniting five separate fires while off duty from August 15th to September 14th, according to the announcement. There were no fires outside of Sonoma County.
According to Cal Fire, the combined flames barely burned one acre of land, thanks to the quick actions of locals and fire suppression crews, minimizing the damages from those incidents.
In a 2016 report, the centralized Volunteer Fire Council highlighted the lack of a centralized database that records incidents of arson committed by firefighters.
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According to the paper, “researchers, fire service leaders, and investigators are forced to extrapolate based upon samples of known cases” as there is no official source for data on firefighter arsonists. “Over a hundred firefighters are subject to arson arrests annually, according to a review of news articles.”
Hernandez was not yet shown on the roster of inmates in Sonoma County Jail as of early Friday afternoon. However, he is anticipated to be processed there on accusations of fire to forest land. Whether Hernandez has retained legal representation is uncertain.
A male, 34 years old, was taken into custody earlier this month about the continuing Line Fire in San Bernardino County. The nine accusations against him include arson that caused over $7 million in damages, breaking the ankle of a fireman, and destroying property in the Running Springs hamlet, according to San Bernardino County District Attorney Jason Anderson.
According to Cal Fire, 91 people have been detained this year on suspicion of arson as of September 1st. We have apprehended 923 individuals who are believed to be arsonists since 2016.
