More than 1,800 incarcerated firefighters live year-round in minimum-security conservation camps, also known as “fire camps,” located across 25 counties in California, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation;

The role of inmate firefighters is in the spotlight as crews continue to battle the blazes in Southern California.

Critics say using incarcerated men and women to fight fires is cheap labour, but supporters say it is rehabilitative.

Using inmate labor to fight fires has been a practice in California since the 1940s. Even some youth offenders from the Lode have joined the battle.

Inmate firefighters responding to the ongoing Los Angeles fires and working 24-hour shifts are earning $26.90 per day, according to the California Dept. of Corrections.

As brush fires continue to spread across Los Angeles County, more than 1,000 prisoners, working as “incarcerated firefighters,” are among the emergency responders fighting the blazes, the California