Hundreds of prison inmates are battling the inferno tearing across Southern California, according to The Guardian. The incarcerated firefighters account for 395 of the nearly 2,000 firefighters currently on the frontlines.

Incarcerated firefighters working to battle the widespread Los Angeles brush fires are paid between $5.80 and $10.24 per day, plus $1 for active emergencies.

Nearly 400 prison inmates have been deployed by the California department of corrections and rehabilitation (CDCR) to contain the blazes, the department said in a statement to The Guardian. The crews of incarcerated firefighters are embedded with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection (Cal Fire) to assist its nearly 2,