Harmful and fast-moving California wildfire could also be arson, not pure catastrophe

Authorities in Northern California announced the arrest of a woman last week who they say sparked windswept wildfire that swiftly tore through steep, rugged terrain, demolishing 144 buildings, triggering the evacuation of thousands and one of the this year destructive fire of the state was.

Alexandra Souverneva, 30, a former San Francisco Bay Area yoga teacher whom a former coworker described as “brilliant” is among more than 100 people arrested by the California Department of Forestry and Fire on charges of arson in the wild Protection or Cal Fire in 2021.

The prosecution alleges a rare but significant act that has come more into focus when parched, overgrown forests explode into thousands of acres in a matter of days.

“It’s hard to pinpoint when a disaster like this doesn’t appear to be 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 on Saturday.

Souverneva has pleaded not guilty.

Flames devour a home near the Old Oregon Trail when the fawn fire burns about 10 miles north of Redding, California’s Shasta County, on September 23, 2021.Ethan Swope / AP

Forest fires are usually random and ignited by damaged power lines, vehicles and logging equipment, said Ed Nordskog, a longtime arson investigator for the Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department and co-author of Arson Investigation in the Wildlands.

While most forest fire authorities attribute about 10 percent of the fires to arson, Nordskog said the real number could double that – a result of decades of officials prioritizing repression over investigation.

“If you don’t send an investigator, you won’t have arson,” he said.

But deliberately setting a forest fire can have quick and profound consequences. As Nordskog put it, “You literally have the power of an atomic bomb at your fingertips. You can burn an entire city down if the conditions are right.”

For example, in 2006 in Southern California, a wind-powered fire burned 40,000 acres, destroyed dozens of homes and killed five firefighters. Raymond Oyler, a Riverside County mechanic, was sentenced to death for arson and murder in the fire.

In 2008, a former Northern California volunteer firefighter Robert Eason was found guilty of starting a dozen fires north of Sacramento, including one that burned 1,000 acres and killed 200 sheep. Investigators said Eason used a sophisticated time delay device to start the fires.

Unlike urban arsonists, who vary in age, gender, and race, arsonists in the wild are more likely to be middle-aged men, said Nordskog, who also wrote “The Arsonist Profiles: Analyzing Brand Motives and Behavior.” Although lighters and matches are the preferred ignition method, some, like Eason, use time-delay devices, like matches, which are wrapped around a cigarette, he said.

“If they go up in flames, they are seven to 15 kilometers away,” said Nordskog.

Although some arsonists act out of thrill, anger, frustration and mental illness are more common motives, Nordskog said. Just as common is how daunting the investigation can be. They’re often in remote areas, with ignition points that could be decimated if firefighters work to put out the fire, he said.

Fire officials said Souverneva was arrested on the night of September 22 after emerging from the bush near a fire line northeast of Redding in Shasta County. She had a working lighter in her pocket, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said Friday, and after telling firefighters that she was dehydrated and needed medical attention, Souverneva was questioned and held in custody on suspicion of arson taken.

Because of the declared state of emergency, Souverneva faces an increased prison sentence of nine years if convicted, Bridgett said. She added that authorities were “aware” of other local and state-wide fires that Souverneva “could be linked to”, although Bridgett refused to provide further details.

Bridgett also declined to discuss a possible motive, saying there was no evidence that Souverneva was under the influence of drugs or alcohol. She also didn’t appear to be mentally ill, Bridgett said, although witnesses who saw her earlier said she acted “irrationally,” Cal Fire said in a statement.

Souverneva pleaded not guilty of arson charges. Her attorney Shana Vegvary said that Souverneva “protests her innocence” and that “no evidence to the contrary has been presented”.

“We ask the public not to anticipate this case,” she said.

Relatives in the Bay Area did not respond to requests for comment. But a former colleague and instructor who taught Souverneva at Avalon Yoga in Palo Alto remembered her as a brilliant student who attended the California Institute of Technology and worked for pharmaceutical companies before she burned out with “big money-grabbing corporations.”

“I thought she was an idealistic kid,” said Steve Farmer, Avalon CEO. “She was in conservation and forests.”

Farmer said he has not seen her since the pandemic when Avalon closed, although he intended to reinstate her after it reopened. “She would have been the last person I thought would get involved in something like this,” he said.

According to Cal Fire, the Shasta County fire had destroyed dozens of homes and grown to nearly 9,000 acres by Monday. The fire department had surrounded half of the fire with containment lines.