CalFire Employee Arrested for Allegedly Setting Multiple Wildfires in Sonoma County

By Anthony W. Haddad

Published 7 months ago on

September 20, 2024

A CalFire employee has been arrested on suspicion of setting five wildfires in Sonoma County while off duty, according to authorities. (GV Wire Composite/Paul Marshall)

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A CalFire employee has been arrested on suspicion of setting multiple wildfires in Sonoma County, CalFire said in a news release Friday.

Robert Hernandez, 38, of Healdsburg, was taken into custody by CalFire law enforcement officers at the Howard Forest Fire Station.

Hernandez, a fire apparatus engineer with the department, is accused of igniting five fires in areas near Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor while off duty.

The fires include the Alexander Fire on Aug. 15, the Windsor River Road Fire on Sept. 8, the Geysers Fire on Sept. 12, and two additional fires in Geyser and Kinley on Saturday.

Authorities said the quick actions of residents and firefighting resources helped contain all five fires, which together burned less than an acre of wildland.

Hernandez has been charged with arson to forest land and will be booked into Sonoma County Jail, according to CalFire.

Information on Arson?

Anyone with information related to arson is encouraged to contact the CalFire Arson Hotline at 1-800-468-4408. Callers may remain anonymous.

For more information, visit www.fire.ca.gov.

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Anthony W. Haddad,

Multimedia Journalist

Anthony W. Haddad, who graduated from Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with his undergraduate degree and has an MBA at Fresno State, is the Swiss Army knife of GV Wire. He writes stories, manages social media, and represents the organization on the ground.