Sal Almanza has worked 24-hour shifts in grueling terrain, cutting fire lines and hauling away brush trying to keep ahead of fires that have devastated several Los Angeles neighborhoods . But when the fires are finally out, he won’t be going back to his family: He’ll be returning to the prison “fire camp” where he’s serving time for drunken driving that injured someone.
“I wanted to do something positive while I was here,” the 42-year-old said. “Something that would contribute back to the community and just help me feel better about my situation and right the wrongs that I did.”
Over 1,100 California inmates have been working around the clock in challenging conditions – including howling winds and toxic smoke – to help Cal Fire battle the Eaton and Palisades fires, the largest and most destructive of about a half-dozen fires that burned in the Los Angeles area in the past two weeks…