A California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection employee has been charged with igniting five brush fires after previously serving as an inmate firefighter following a conviction for causing a fatal collision. Robert Hernandez, 38, was apprehended at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Healdsburg, California, on suspicion of committing arson on forest land, the agency known as Cal Fire confirmed. Hernandez, an apparatus engineer, was responsible for operating and maintaining fire engines and water tanks during emergency responses.

According to a court complaint from the Sonoma County District Attorney’s Office, Hernandez’s criminal history and his time as an inmate firefighter were disclosed. Public records indicate that he was found guilty of gross vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated due to a 2016 incident in San Bernardino. Despite receiving a six-year prison sentence, he was granted the opportunity to join a rehabilitation program in 2018 that enabled incarcerated individuals to participate in fire camps throughout the state, as reported by the Press Democrat.

Participants in these programs assist firefighters during various emergencies, ranging from fires to floods. Cal Fire has not confirmed whether Hernandez has hired a lawyer to represent him against the arson charges. The agency stated that Hernandez started the fires while off duty between August 14 and September 15 in forested areas near Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor. Fortunately, the blazes were contained quickly, burning less than an acre combined due to the prompt response of residents and firefighters.

Expressing dismay over the situation, Cal Fire Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler condemned Hernandez’s actions as a violation of the public’s trust and an attempt to undermine the efforts of the agency’s 12,000 employees. Cal Fire declined to provide further details on the case after confirming the arrest. The community awaits further developments in the investigation as authorities work to analyze the extent of the damage caused by the fires allegedly started by Hernandez.