By Wealthy McKay
(Reuters) – A California firefighter has been arrested and accused of setting 5 blazes within the state’s wine nation, at the same time as his fellow firefighters battle flames which have consumed nearly 1,000,000 acres and compelled 1000’s of evacuations within the state this yr.
Robert Matthew Hernandez, a 38-year-old fireplace equipment engineer of Healdsburg, California, was arrested on Friday on suspicion of arson.
He was accused of setting 5 fires between Aug. 15 and Sept. 14 whereas off-duty, the California Division of Forestry and Fireplace Safety, or Cal Fireplace, mentioned in a information launch.
“I’m appalled to study one in all our workers would violate the general public’s belief and try and tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 men and women of Cal Fireplace,” Joe Tyler, the company’s director and fireplace chief, mentioned in a press release to media.
It was not instantly clear if Hernandez had retained a lawyer.
Hernandez allegedly ignited the blazes in Sonoma County, recognized for its wines and vineyards. The fires have been all extinguished by fireplace crews and burned lower than one acre mixed, based on the hearth company.
A Cal Fireplace spokesperson mentioned the company wouldn’t present additional particulars at the moment. A motive was unclear.
Hernandez was formally charged with 5 counts of arson to forest land. He was being held in lieu of $2 million bail within the Sonoma County Jail on Saturday, based on the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Workplace.
Wildfires are nonetheless raging throughout the state.
Three blazes in mountains round Los Angeles, the second-largest U.S. metropolis, have destroyed greater than 230 homes and different constructions, forcing tens of 1000’s of individuals to evacuate suburbs and cities since Sept. 5.
California wildfires have thus far this yr burned almost 4 occasions as a lot land as final yr at the moment when the state’s fireplace season was extra benign, based on Cal Fireplace knowledge.
Bone-dry vegetation amid file warmth blamed on local weather change has been making fires worse, based on local weather scientists.