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9/27/2021 BCFAC Arson News: Shasta County, CA — Alexandra Souverneva, former forestry student-turned-shaman and yoga teacher, was boiling water with bear urine in it to drink when she allegedly started the Fawn Fire in Shasta County, according to a narrative filed by Cal Fire.
Souverneva has been charged with starting the Fawn Fire that has so far destroyed 41 homes and is under investigation for starting other fires.
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.
The 8,500 acre blaze the 30 year-old is accused of starting has wrecked 41 homes, and 90 other structures.
Souverneva pleaded not guilty but could face up to nine years in state prison if convicted.
She is also suspected of starting additional fires in Shasta County and throughout the state, Bridgett said.
It wasn't immediately known if she has an attorney who could speak on her behalf.
During questioning by investigators, Souverneva, who previously worked as a scientist, but whose most recent job was as an SAT tutor, claimed that she had been thirsty whilst out hiking and found a puddle in a dry creek bed which contained bear urine.
She then claims she attempted to filter the water using a tea bag but when that failed tried to start a fire to boil the water.
Souverneva said that it was too wet to start a fire so she drank the water and continued walking.
The Fawn Fire has charred more than 13 square miles of heavy timber in the latest destructive blaze to send Californians fleeing this year.
As of Monday morning, the fire was 45 % contained.
CAL FIRE reported on Sunday night that three firefighters were injured while battling the inferno.
Souverneva is known to be a graduate of the California Institute of Technology and former Bay Area biotech employee.
She has also worked as a yoga teacher and describes herself as a shaman - a person who claims to have a direct connection with the world's good and evil spirits.
The 30-year-old has a past criminal record that includes several run-ins with the law, including most recently earlier this month, when she was picked up on suspicion of trespassing.
'It is difficult to grasp when disaster like this is, apparently, not a natural disaster. But we have a suspect,' Shasta County Sheriff Michael L. Johnson said to community members at a meeting on Saturday night.
'Deliberate ignition, if proven, makes it harder for us all to grasp as a community, and to deal with what we're facing,' he said.
Workers at a nearby quarry reported seeing Souverneva acting strangely and trespassing on the company's property in the area in Shasta County where the Fawn Fire was sparked on Wednesday afternoon, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection said in a statement.
The woman was told by quarry workers that she was not allowed to be there, but she allegedly ignored them and continued walking into the vegetation.
Just hours later, firefighters were called to that same area for reports of a vegetation fire.
At around 8pm on Wednesday, Souverneva walked out of the brush near the fire line and approached firefighters and told them she was trying to get to Canada, was dehydrated and needed medical help, Cal Fire said.
She was found to be carrying in her pockets and inside a fanny pack a cigarette lighter, CO2 cartridges, and an item 'containing a green, leafy substance she admitted to smoking that day,' according to the report.
Souverneva was taken out of the area for evaluation and treatment.
During an interview with Cal Fire and law enforcement, officers came to believe that Souverneva, of Palo Alto, was responsible for setting the fire, officials said.
Souverneva is also suspected of setting fire to vegetation in Shasta Lake the night before.
'It is my opinion there is a high possibility she is responsible for the vegetation fire in Shasta Lake City the previous evening,' CAL FIRE officer Matt Alexander wrote. 'It is my experience that arsonists ... will light multiple fires in a short timeframe.'
She was arrested and booked into the Shasta County Jail.
It wasn't immediately known if she has an attorney.
During Friday's court appearance, an attorney said Souverneva had made statements to law enforcement that indicated a possible mental health crisis 'or something to do with drug abuse,' reported Redding Record Searchlight.
Souverneva graduated from Palo Alto High School in 2009 and the California Institute of Technology in 2012 with degrees in chemistry and biology according to Mercury News.
She enrolled in a Ph.D. program at the State University of New York's College of Environmental Science and Forestry but never completed her doctorate.
She later worked in medicinal chemistry as a research associate at the biotech companies Gilead Sciences in Foster City and Nanosyn in Santa Clara.
A former Palo Alto yoga instructor, certified scuba dive master, piano teacher and camp counselor, she most recently tutored Bay Area students in the sciences at Palo Alto’s AJ Tutoring, a respected SAT test prep business.
Souverneva's describes her current job on LinkedIn as a 'shaman'.
According to her page, she previously worked as a yoga teacher, certified scuba dive master, piano teacher and science camp counselor.
Between February-May 2020, she was employed as a chemistry and biology tutor at Palo Alto’s AJ Tutoring.
Souverneva has a criminal history in California, which includes arrests on unspecified charges in 2015 and 2017.
In early September, the 30-year-old woman was pulled over on Interstate 5 near Red Bluff and booked into the Tehama County Jail on a charge of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs and obstructing and resisting arrest.
A week later, Souverneva was arrested in Oregon on a count for criminal trespass.
The outcome of that case is unknown at this time.
She claims she had been hiking at the time the fire started. Cal Fire officials found CO2 cartridges and a lighter on her.
As a result of the damage caused by the wildfire, Souverneva's bail was been increased to $150,000 from $100,000 for the felony charge of arson on forest land.
An additional $25,000 was added for a related misdemeanor, arson during a state of emergency.
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Alexandra Souverneva, 30, of Palo Alto, has been charged with felony arson to wildland and is suspected of starting the Fawn fire - she was seen to be carrying a cigarette lighter.
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