Mandatory evacuation orders, Code Red notifications continue as Fawn Fire explodes to 1,200 acres

UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 23, 10:26 a.m., With additional evacuation warnings, other updates.
UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 23, 1:32 p.m., With additional evacuation warnings, other updates.
UPDATED: Thursday, Sept. 23, 2:15 p.m., With suspect’s arrest information.

SEE RELATED: UPDATE: Fawn Fire grows to nearly 6,000 acres – 25 structures destroyed – Alleged arsonist in custody

Originally Published: Thursday, Sept. 23, 8:25 a.m.

REDDING, Calif. — Mandatory evacuation orders related to the still-growing Fawn Fire, burning in the Tierra Oaks area north of Shasta College along Redding’s northwest side, remain in effect with new evacuation warnings being issued for several other neighborhoods threatened by the blaze.

According to CAL FIRE/Shasta County Fire Department, a Palo Alto woman has been arrested and booked on charges related to the fire. She remains in custody, in lieu of $100,000 bail or bond.

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The wildland vegetation fire started shortly before 5 p.m. Wednesday and exploded in size this morning, growing to at least 1,200 acres, according to fire officials; who have said containment was around five percent.

Recent updates indicate that numerous homes are being actively threatened by the blaze and fire crews are aggressively attacking the fire both from the ground and air.

AREAS UNDER MANDATORY EVACUATION ORDERS

• All areas north of Old Oregon Trail at Akrich Street north to Pine Grove Avenue and east of Interstate 5, including the Tierra Oaks Subdivision in northeast Redding.
• All roads off of Old Oregon Trail in both directions between Bear Mountain north to Interstate 5.
• All Roads off Bear Mountain Road in both directions to Dry Creek Road and Old Oregon Trail.

Code Red notifications are continuing to be issued in that area and residents are being directed to southbound Old Oregon Trail and westbound Oasis Road as current evacuation routes.

An evacuation center established in cooperation with the Red Cross and Shasta County Public Health has been set up at the Church of the Nazarene, at 2225 Bechelli Lane.

“The Redding Police Department, Redding Fire Department, and other City departments are working with our state and county allied agencies in assisting with the Fawn Fire,” Redding PD said in their most recent update. “We will continue to update as information becomes available.”

Regarding last night’s arrest, CAL FIRE reported today that the woman who now stands accused of igniting the blaze, 30-year-old Alexandra Souverneva was seen trespassing in the area and acting erratically shortly before the fire was reported.

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Facing 20 years on 12 felony cases, wanted COAP felon nabbed in Anderson

Anderson probation compliance sweep nets four adults, child taken into protective custody

“Heavily intoxicated” Redding woman arrested after fleeing multiple collisions, head-on crash

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Later, at around 8 p.m., while firefighters continued battling the growing blaze, Souverneva was seen walking out of the brush near the fire. She then approached firefighters and asked for medical treatment, stating she was dehydrated, according to a CAL FIRE release.

She was transported off the fire line and provided medical treatment before being contacted by CAL FIRE law enforcement officers who developed leads and gathered information that ultimately led to her arrest.

“CAL FIRE will be submitting its case to the Shasta County District Attorney’s Office recommending Souverneva be charged with arson to wild land,” the department said in this morning’s release, adding, “This charge receives an enhancement due to the declared ‘state of emergency’ California is currently in due to wild fire danger.”

As viewed from the Sundial Bridge, choking smoke can be seen coming from the #FawnFire burning north of Redding. City of Redding photo

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Contact the writer: [email protected]

Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).

Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County-based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.

Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)

During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.

Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.

Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.