2017 california fires

As flames consume parts of California, an unexpected group of firefighters has put their lives at risk to protect communities: prison inmates. For $2 per day — and another $1 an hour when battling fires — qualified inmates can volunteer to help authorities combat fires.

The Thomas Fire has claimed more than 242,000 acres and over 700 homes. Officials say it won't be contained until January.

Facebook Google+ Twitter Email Editor's note: This post was originally published in 2014. It continues to be picked up by news aggregators such as Google…