‘Running to danger and saving lives’: 1,100 incarcerated firefighters are on the LA frontlines

The jobs are highly coveted, offering training and reduced sentences, but face criticism over low wages

As firefighters are battling multiple huge blazes tearing through Los Angeles, California's prisons have deployed more than 1,000 incarcerated people to battle on the frontlines.

The California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) said that, as of Wednesday morning, 1,116 incarcerated people were embedded with the state's other firefighters to help slow the spread of the infernos that have killed at least 25 people and devastated neighborhoods across LA county.