California firefighter charged with starting blazes in state's wine country

By Rich McKay

(Reuters) – A California firefighter has been arrested and charged with starting five wildfires in the state's wine country, even as his fellow firefighters battle blazes that have consumed nearly a million acres and forced thousands of evacuations across the state this year.

Robert Matthew Hernandez, a 38-year-old fire engineer from Healdsburg, Calif., was arrested Friday on suspicion of arson.

He was accused of starting 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.

“I am dismayed 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,” Joe Tyler, the agency’s director and fire chief, said in a statement to the media.

It was not immediately clear whether Hernandez has retained an attorney.

Hernandez is believed to have started the fires in Sonoma County, known for its wines and vineyards. The fires have all been extinguished by firefighters and have burned less than an acre in total, according to the fire agency.

A Cal Fire spokesperson said the agency would not provide further details at this time. The motive for the incident is unclear.

Hernandez was formally charged with five counts of arson on forest lands. He was being held Saturday at the Sonoma County Jail on $2 million bail, according to the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office.

Wildfires continue to rage across the state.

Three fires burning in the mountains around Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. city, have destroyed more than 230 homes and other structures, forcing tens of thousands of people to evacuate suburbs and cities since September 5.

According to Cal Fire data, California wildfires have so far burned nearly four times as much land as they did this time last year, when the state's fire season was milder.

Extremely dry vegetation amid record heat blamed on climate change is making the fires worse, climatologists say.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Matthew Lewis)