California faces one of the largest wildfires in its history.
After being ravaged by COVID-19, California now faces one of the largest wildfires in its history. The thirteen thousand seven hundred firefighters struggling to contain the blaze have been reinforced by inmate firefighters, a program instrumental in helping California contain wildfires.
Sean Kavanaugh, the incident commander working with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, has said that “This entire LNU complex is now the second-largest wildland fire in state history.” The “LNU complex” refers to the largest of the three independent fire systems currently burning. Brice Bennett, a spokesperson for Cal Fire, California’s main firefighting organization, claims that “Inmate fire crews are absolutely imperative to our ability to create hand line and do arduous work on our fires.”
Despite the claim that inmate fire crews are essential to restraining the fire, some, such as Tim Edwards, president of the union representing Cal Fire employees, are questioning the ethics of the inmate firefighter program, considering inmate firefighters often work 24-hour shifts and get paid one dollar an hour. “We are the guys they send for the most dangerous missions,” says Francis Lopez, who spent a year on the inmate firefighting program.
The fire has now forced nearly one hundred twenty thousand people to evacuate and has claimed the lives of at least seven. 845 structures have been destroyed as the fire continues to grow. The blaze is so large that smoke has blown all the way to Kansas.
Despite the heatwave and dry lightning strikes that helped start the fire, recent changes in the weather are helping contain the blaze. President Trump has declared the fires a major disaster, making federal funds available to victims of the fire.
Handling a wildfire this large while maintaining COVID-19 precautions is an unprecedented challenge. If the favorable weather holds, the fire may begin to subside, saving properties and lives.
