A member of the California Fire Department has been accused of violating his own duties 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 off-duty.
In this screenshot from Google Maps Street View, the Howard Forest Fire Station is shown in Willits, California, in Mendocino County.
Google Maps Street View
According to CAL FIRE, the fires have burned a total area of less than an acre.
“I am appalled to learn that one of our employees would violate the public trust and attempt to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of CAL FIRE,” CAL FIRE Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in a statement.
Rodriguez is under investigation in connection with the Aug. 15 Alexander Fire, the Sept. 8 Windsor River Road Fire, the Sept. 12 Geysers Fire and the Sept. 14 Geyser and Kinley Fires, CAL FIRE said.
In this Nov. 9, 2018, file photo, a Cal Fire firefighter pulls a hose toward a burning home as the Camp Fire spreads through the Magalia, Calif., area.
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images, ARCHIVES
Contact information for Hernandez’s attorney was not immediately available. He was expected to be booked into the Sonoma County Jail on arson charges, investigators said.
