Firefighter Ron Burias battles the Fawn Fire as it spreads north of Redding, Calif. in Shasta County, on Thursday, Sept. 23, 2021.
(Picture: AP)The woman charged with arson in connection to a wildfire that’s ravaged homes and neighborhoods, prompted mandatory evacuation and burned nearly 10,000 acres in Northern California was reportedly boiling bear urine for consumption whilst sparking the disastrous blaze.
According to court documents obtained by San Francisco’s KPIX, 30-year-old Alexandra Souvernev of Palo Alto, California, was attempting to “hike to get to Canada” when she “became thirsty and found a puddle of water in a dry creek bed.” Souvernev said the water “contained bear urine” however, which led her to attempt to “filter the water with a tea bag.” When that didn’t work, she “attempted to make a fire to boil the water,” but “it was too wet for the fire to start.” Eventually, she “drank the water anyway” and continued walking uphill.
#CALFIRESHU2021 Shasta County District Attorney's Office pic.twitter.com/WGk9epA01U
— CAL FIRE SHU (@CALFIRESHU) September 23, 2021
While firefighters were working to put out the fire, Souvernev “walked out of the brush” and approached the officials saying that she was dehydrated and in need of medical treatment, according to Cal Fire press release. Earlier that day, several civilians in the area contacted police to report seeing a woman trespassing and acting “irrationally.”
The fire, coined the “Fawn Fire,” has destroyed hundreds of homes and other structures, forcing thousands of Californias to evacuate. On Monday, Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for Shasta County in response to the fire.
Souverneva has been charged with felony arson and could face up to nine years in prison.
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