My name is Jamie Lowe. I'm a frequent contributor to the New York Times magazine. I am in my home state of California.

Over night, this brawl of more than 500 California wildfires surged in a relentless march of flames.

Which is once again on fire.

California has suffered a devastating week.

More of the state burning this week than an entire wildfire season.

And it's impossible for me not to think about the story I wrote in 2017 about women who are in prison and fighting the state's wildfires on the front lines.

And specifically about a woman who died fighting a fire in Malibu named Shauna Lynn Jones.

The incarcerated women who fight California's wildfires written by Jamie Lowe, read by January LaVoy.

Shauna Lynn Jones climbed from the back of a red truck with LA County fire printed on its side.

10 more women piled out after her had a spot on the border of Agora Hills and Malibu in Southern California.

They could see flames in the vicinity of Mulholland Highway from a fire that had been burning for about an hour.

Jones and her crew wore helmets and yellow nomex fire retardant suits. Yellow handkerchiefs covered their mouths and necks.

Each woman carried 50 pounds of equipment in her backpack, gloves, flares, food, full water bottles, safety and medical gear, and an emergency shelter in case they were surrounded by flames.

As the second saw, Jones was one of two women who carried a chain saw with her.

She was also one of California's 250 or so female inmate firefighters.

Jones worked side by side with Jessica Ornellis, the second bucker who collected whatever wood Jones cut down.

Together, they were responsible for setting the line, which meant clearing potential fuel from a six foot wide stretch of ground between whatever was burning and the land they were trying to protect.

If they did their job right, a fire might be contained, but any number of things could quickly go wrong.

A slight wind shift, the fall of a burning tree, and the fire would jump the break.

This is what I get for wishing for live flames. Jones said to Ornellis on the truck ride.

It was just after 3 a.m. on February 25th, 2016, when Malibu 13-3, the 12 woman crew Jones belonged to, arrived at the Mulholland Fire, ahead of any aerial support or local fire trucks.

The inmates, including men, roughly 4,000 prisoners, fight wildfires alongside civilian firefighters throughout California, immediately went to work.

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