By Tim Stelloh -
NBC News
Authorities in Northern California last week announced the arrest of a woman who they say started one of the most destructive fires in the state this year, destroying 144 buildings and causing the evacuation of thousands of people.
The woman, Alexandra Souverneva, 30, a former San Francisco Bay Area yoga teacher who was remembered by a former colleague as "brilliant," is one of more than 100 people who have been charged with wildfire and arrested. this year by the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire).
[They wrap the largest tree in the world with a fire blanket due to the threat of a fire in California]
The indictment concerns a rare but significant act that has grown in importance as parched, overgrown forests are consumed on thousands of hectares in a matter of days.
"It's hard to understand when a disaster like this is apparently not a natural disaster, but we have a suspect, and this could be an arson case," Shasta County Sheriff Michael Johnson said during a community meeting. Saturday.
Souverneva has pleaded not guilty.
Wildfires are typically accidental, set off by damaged power lines, vehicles and logging equipment, according to Ed Nordskog, a former arson investigator with the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department and co-author of the book
Arson Investigation in the Wildlands
.
While most wildland fire agencies attribute 10% to being set, Nordskog says the true figure could be double, as a result of decades in which authorities have prioritized fighting fires over firefighting. research.
Flames engulf a home near Old Oregon Trail as the Fawn Fire burns about 10 miles north of Redding in Shasta County, Calif., Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021. Ethan Swope / AP
"If you don't send an investigator, there is no arson," he said.
The intentional origin of a forest fire can have rapid and profound consequences.
As Nordskog put it: “They literally have the power of an atomic bomb at their fingertips.
They can burn an entire city if the right conditions are met. "
In 2006, for example, a wind-powered fire spread over 40,000 acres in Southern California, destroying dozens of homes and killing five firefighters.
Raymond Oyler, a Riverside County mechanic, was convicted of arson and murder and sentenced to death.
[On video: A policeman rescues an elderly man who was trapped in a fire just in time]
In 2008, a former volunteer Northern California firefighter, Robert Eason, was convicted of starting a dozen fires north of Sacramento, including one that burned 1,000 acres and killed 200 sheep.
Investigators claimed that Eason used a sophisticated retarding device to start the fires.
Some insurers are refusing to renew fire policies in California
Sept.
14, 202102: 02
Unlike urban arsonists, whose ages, genders, and races vary, forest arsonists are typically middle-aged men, according to Nordskog, who also wrote
The Arsonist Profiles: Analysis of Arsonist Motives and Behavior
.
Although lighters and matches are the preferred ignition methods, some people, like Eason, use delay devices, such as matches wrapped in a cigarette.
"When they go up in flames, they are 7 or 15 miles (11 or 24 kilometers) apart," Nordskog explained.
[Three dismembered bodies found in burning garbage dump in Texas]
Although some arsonists act out of emotion, anger, frustration, and mental illness are more common reasons.
Just as common is how daunting investigations can be.
They are often found in remote areas, with ignition points that could be devastated as firefighters work to extinguish the flames.
Souverneva was taken into custody Wednesday night after stepping out of brush near a fire line northeast of Redding in Shasta County.
She had a working lighter in her pocket, Shasta County Prosecutor Stephanie Bridgett said Friday, and the suspect told firefighters she was dehydrated and in need of medical assistance.
According to a Cal Fire report obtained by the Redding Record Searchlight, Souverneva noted that she was on a field trip to Canada and attempted to boil the water she found in a puddle.
His attempts failed, according to the report, but he drank the water anyway - he thought it was mixed with bear urine - and then walked uphill and saw smoke and planes "dropping pink things."
Souverneva was arrested on suspicion of setting a fire.
Due to the declaration of the state of emergency, Souverneva faces a nine-year sentence if convicted, according to Bridgett.
Authorities are "aware" of other local and statewide fires that Souverneva "may be related to."
Bridgett declined to provide further details.
[California removes the word 'alien' from all of its state laws]
Bridgett, who also declined to discuss a possible motive, said there was no indication that Souverneva was under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
She also did not appear to be mentally ill, although witnesses who saw her earlier said she was acting "irrationally," according to the Cal Fire in a statement.
Souverneva has pleaded not guilty to the crime of arson.
Her lawyer, Shana Vegvary, stated that Souverneva was "asserting her innocence" and that "no evidence to the contrary has been presented."
"We ask that public opinion not prejudge this case," he said.
A former colleague and instructor who taught Souverneva at Avalon Yoga International in Palo Alto remembered her as a brilliant student who attended the California Institute of Technology and worked for pharmaceutical companies before she was burned with “big money hungry corporations. "
“She seemed like an idealistic girl to me.
He liked the woods, "said Steve Farmer, CEO of Avalon.
Farmer said he hadn't seen her since the start of the coronavirus pandemic when Avalon closed, though he planned to rehire her after it reopened.
"She would have been the last person I would have thought I'd done something like that," he said.
As of Monday, the Shasta County fire had destroyed dozens of homes and spread to nearly 9,000 acres, according to Cal Fire.
Firefighters had surrounded half of the fire with containment lines.
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