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California Los Angeles Forest Fire: So far, 24 people have died due to the fire spreading in the forests of California and Los Angeles. Lakhs of people have had to leave their homes and go to safe places. The scope of the fire is so big…read more

Forest fires are continuously spreading in America. (Reuters)
highlights
- There is a huge fire in the forests of California and Los Angeles.
- Due to this fire, lakhs of people had to leave their homes.
- The fire department has come up with a special offer for the prisoners.
California Los Angeles Forest Fire: The fire spreading in the forests of California and Los Angeles is becoming more severe with time. So far 24 people have died due to the fire. Despite millions of efforts, the Joe Biden administration is failing to extinguish this fire. The main reason for this is the strong winds blowing due to the snow storm that has hit America at this time. On the other hand, to speed up the work of extinguishing the fire, the prison departments of California and Los Angeles have come up with a bumper offer. A plan has been made to reduce the punishment of prisoners who help the fire department in extinguishing the fire. A deal has been offered to reduce the punishment by two days in exchange for helping in extinguishing the fire every day. Also, salary will be given separately.
According to CNN report, jail inmates were seen digging a containment line in Los Angeles along with the fire department. On the other hand, the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation says that at present a total of 931 prisoners are working 24 hours to extinguish the forest fire. They are cutting fire lines and removing fuel from behind structures to slow the spread of California’s devastating wildfires.
What is the plan for the prisoners?
Depending on the abilities of the prisoners, they are being paid $5.80 to $10.24 per day to extinguish forest fires in California and Los Angeles. Inmates can also earn an additional $1 per hour if assigned to emergency services. Most prisoners are being given 2-for-1 credit for helping put out fires. This means that prisoners can get two extra days off their sentence for every day they work in the emergency services to put out fires. Apart from this, support staff will get 1 for 1 credit. Where only one day of punishment will be waived off for working one day.
‘We are committed to extinguishing the fire’
Jeff Macomber, secretary of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, told CNN, “Wildfires are a major challenge for California. The fire department is completely dedicated to extinguishing the fire.” The work of our incarcerated firefighters and staff is a part of this effort. Their services are being taken to protect life and property during emergencies.
January 13, 2025, 08:52 IST
Prisoners enjoying California fire, getting bumper earnings with relaxation in sentence