A California firefighter was arrested on suspicion of arson in a series of small fires that burned in wine country in recent weeks, officials said Friday.
Robert Hernandez, 38, was accused of setting five fires between Aug. 15 and Sept. 14 while off-duty, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said in a news release.
Hernadez, a Cal Fire apparatus engineer, allegedly ignited the blazes around Geyserville, Healdsburg and Windsor, the department said.
More than 4 million acres burned across the state in 2020, setting a record for the largest number of acres burned in California in modern times, the department said.
So far this year, nearly one million acres have burned, including fast-moving blazes in Southern California that threatened tens of thousands of homes and prompted thousands of evacuations in the foothills of San Bernardino County.
Persons:
Robert Hernandez, Joe Tyler, Hernandez, Tubbs
Organizations:
California Department of Forestry, Cal Fire, CAL FIRE
Locations:
California, Healdsburg, Windsor, San Francisco, Southern California, San Bernardino County