Souverneva pleaded not guilty but could face up to nine years in state prison if convicted. The 8,500 acre blaze the 30 year-old is accused of starting has wrecked 41 homes, and 90 other structures. Published: 04:39 BST, 27 September 2021 | Updated: 21:15 BST, 27 September 2021Ī former forestry student-turned-shaman and yoga teacher has been charged with starting a huge California wildfire that has destroyed 41 homes - and was being investigated in connection with other fires - after claiming the blaze was triggered accidentally while she tried to boil bear urine so she could drink it.Īlexandra Souverneva, of Palo Alto, was charged Friday with felony arson to wildland with an enhancement because of a declared state of emergency in California, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said.
It wasn’t immediately known if she has an attorney.Forestry student-turned-shaman, 30, faces nine years in jail for 'starting California's Fawn Fire' that has burned 8,500 acres and destroyed 41 homes: DA suspects she could be 'serial arsonist' She was booked into the Shasta County Jail. Cal Fire said Souverneva later walked out of the brush near the fire line, approached firefighters and told them she was dehydrated and needed medical help.ĭuring an interview with Cal Fire and law enforcement, officers came to believe Souverneva was responsible for setting the fire, officials said. Workers at a quarry reported seeing a woman acting strangely and trespassing on Wednesday.
Open #GISsurfer map: /LruBn32w5A- Joseph Elfelt September 25, 2021 MODIS and VIIRS satellite hotspot data always at least 3 hours old, locations approximate, sometimes false positive. Saturday September 25th #FawnFire 7,544 acres per 9:21pm infrared flight last night. Rain is in the forecast for Monday and Tuesday. Temperatures in the 80s are likely to slowly drop into the 70s over the next several days as a cooling-off period comes, officials said. North northeast winds on Friday night shifted to south southwest winds and will be in firefighters' favor, Cal Fire said. "I would call it extreme," Cal Fire spokesperson Robert Foxworthy said at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday five miles northeast of the town of Shasta Lake and grew explosively in hot and gusty weather Thursday, triggering a flurry of evacuations. Photos and video showed some homes blazing but the number of residences lost was not known. Cal Fire said 9,000 structures continue to be threatened by the fire. The number of destroyed structures is likely to go up as damage inspection teams hit the ground Saturday to conduct assessments. Some 5,200 people have been evacuated due to the blaze, the California Office of Emergency Services reported. Alexandra Souverneva was charged Friday with felony arson to wildland with an enhancement due to the declared state of emergency California is under, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said at a Friday press conference. The Fawn Fire, first reported Wednesday near the community of Mountain Gate just north of Redding, was 7,544 acres Saturday morning with 10% containment, Cal Fire said.Īuthorities arrested a 30-year-old Palo Alto woman Thursday on suspicion of starting the blaze.
A weekend forecast with cooler temperatures and shifting winds is expected to help firefighters contain a Northern California wildfire 225 miles north of San Francisco that has destroyed 100 structures as it tears through a parched, drought-stricken landscape.
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