Inmate fighting wildfire accused of rape

SALT LAKE CITY — Inmates sent to help fight wildfires are back behind bars in Idaho after one inmate was charged with raping a woman working at a base camp in Utah, authorities said Tuesday.

Idaho inmate Ruben Hernandez, 27, was charged with felony rape in Utah after a woman reported that he assaulted her Aug. 29 when she rejected his advances in a remote area about 80 miles south of Salt Lake City.

The so-called Coal Hollow Fire was managed by a special team of federal and state agencies, so county authorities weren’t aware that Idaho inmates were part of the force of about 200 at the time of the assault.

Hernandez was part of a 10-person crew who did janitorial and cooking duties at base camp, supervised by two Idaho correctional officers.

Inmates are typically allowed to move about fairly freely, said Sanpete County attorney Kevin Daniels. Hernandez doesn’t have a history of assault or similar crimes, and was less than a year from a parole date on a drug charge.

The woman told police Hernandez had been flirting with her and asked for her number. One morning as she was sitting in a wash trailer watching a movie, Hernandez entered, exposed himself and asked for oral sex, authorities said. He assaulted her after she again rejected him, according to charging documents.

Hernandez