A firefighter in California has been arrested by fellow firefighters after residents allegedly caught him starting wine country fires.
Robert Matthew Hernandez, 38, was taken into custody on Friday by Cal Fire law enforcement officers on suspicion of arson at the Howard Forest Fire Station in Mendocino County.
Hernandez stands accused of setting five blazes between August 15 and September 14 while off-duty in forest land near Geyserville, Healdsburg, and Windsor, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
"I am appalled to learn one of our employees would violate the public's trust and attempt to tarnish the tireless work of the 12,000 women and men of CAL FIRE," Director and Fire Chief Joe Tyler said in the release, noting residents' "vigilance" had helped the agency catch Hernandez.
The fires were all extinguished by fire crews and burned less than one acre combined, due to the combined effort from residents and firefighters, according to ABC7.
Hernandez was charged with five counts of arson to forest land and is currently being held in lieu of $2 million bail at the Sonoma County Jail.
