VIDEO: At Puerta La Cruz Conservation Camp in Warner Springs, 33 incarcerated women form two hand crew teams on the front lines of California’s wildfire season — volunteering to risk their lives not just to serve their time, but to serve their community.
The women are part of a joint program between CAL FIRE and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).
Puerta La Cruz is one of two conservation camps in the entire state – the other being in Malibu – to train incarcerated women to fight wildfires.
California faces nearly 8,000 wildfires every year, and CAL FIRE depends on hand crews to fight them. Nearly half of those crews are made up of incarcerated men and women.
CDCR reported that as of April 2026, there are approximately 1,920 incarcerated people working at fire camps.
The camp recently completed its annual fire preparedness exercise, which includes a drill known as a tool out — where fire gear is inspected and fire knowledge is tested — followed by a one-hour hike, a fire shelter drill, and one hour of fire line construction.
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