【Text/Observer Network Zhang Zhaodong】
A wildfire burned more than 8,000 acres of land in Shasta County, California, destroyed dozens of homes, and forced evacuations of thousands of residents.
California authorities say the wildfire was most likely sparked by a 30-year-old woman who set fire to bear urine while drinking water. Local prosecutors charged the woman with a felony of arson and suspected she was linked to multiple fires in California. However, the woman insisted she was innocent, saying that when she started the fire, the wood was "too wet to burn." ”
Screenshot of the report
According to the US media CBS local time reported on September 29, on the afternoon of September 22, a wildfire broke out in Shasta County, California, and spread rapidly. The local fire department named the wildfire "Fawn Fire." The wildfire engulfed 8,577 acres of local land and destroyed 144 homes and other buildings, prompting California Gov. Gavin Newsom to declare Shasta County a state of emergency and force thousands of residents to evacuate.
Local residents' homes were destroyed by mountain fire Source: Associated Press
On the day of the fire, Alexandra Souverneva, a 30-year-old woman, was trapped in bushes in the fire and had to call the fire department, according to a criminal indictment from the Shasta County District Attorney's Office in California.
After firefighters rescued Suverneta, they found CO2 cartridges, lighters and "a green leaf-like substance she admitted to smoking that day" in her pockets and fanny packs. Suvelneyva was immediately arrested.
Suverneta Image source: Shasta County Sheriff's Office, California
Court documents show that staff at the quarry near the scene of the fire said they saw a woman throw out two small carbon dioxide gas bombs that day, the same as the carbon dioxide gas bombs in Suverneta's bag.
On September 24, local time, Shasta County District Attorney Stephanie Bridgett said at a news conference that Suverneva would face felony charges of arson for a state emergency. It is reported that Suverneva will face up to 9 years in prison in state prison.
The documents accusing Suverneva indicate that the wildfire in Shasta County was most likely caused by Suverneta's attempt to set fire to bear urine.
A local house burned down Image source: CNN
Suverneva insisted she was innocent. She claimed she was hiking to Canada at the time of the fire. She was thirsty on the way and stumbled upon a pool of water that she thought was bear urine. She first tried filtering with a tea bag, but it didn't work. So she tried to make a fire to boil the water, but the wood was "too wet to burn." ”
Suverneva said she finally drank the water and continued down the riverbed toward the mountain.
Suverneyva at court hearing Source: The New York Post
The New York Post reported that on Suverneyva's LinkedIn software, she certified herself as a "shaman" and claimed to be a phD student in the School of Environmental Science and Forestry at the State University of New York.
A defense attorney for Suverneva said at the court hearing that Suverneva may have a mental health crisis ," or related to substance abuse. ”
California District Attorney Bridget said Suverneva was likely to be linked to multiple other fires across the state. "My office will not hesitate to prosecute (any) person who deliberately or recklessly set fires." Bridget said.
Suverneta, who currently refuses to plead guilty, is on $150,000 bail and will appear in court on Oct. 5.
According to the official Tweet of the Shasta County Fire Department in California, as of now, the wildfire has not been completely extinguished. The bureau's September 30 report showed that 90 percent of the fires were under control.
Screenshot of the official Tweet of the Shasta County Fire Department
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