Over 150,000 acres were ravaged in Northern California last November, taking with it 86 lives and tens of billions of dollars in property damage. Butte County’s Camp Fire marks the list as one of California’s top 20 largest wildfires in history, leaving massive structural and environmental damages for years to come. With ongoing investigations to determine a culprit, all roads seem to lead to California’s biggest investor-owned utility company, Pacific Gas & Electric - sparking renewed discussion over the necessity of public oversight.

The agreement between California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection guides the responsibilities of the two state departments in their use of prisoners to prepare for and put out fires.

Inspired by your feedback, we’re looking for any reports states’ Departments of Corrections might have on inmate firefighters post-incarceration employment.

With regular blazes the “new normal” on the West Coast, prison labor continues to play a huge role in battling them.

In the face of crisis, with more than 8,000 wildfires engulfing over 1.8 million acres of land and no significant rainfall for almost three months, then Texas Governor Rick Perry came upon an idea: prayer.