I’m fairly sure that inmates are used mostly on long-burning fires.
Deaths directly attributed to fires seem to be almost entirely from fires that have started within an hour or so of the deaths, and those seem to be mostly handled by full-time firefighters who live near the scene.
The pandemic-induced inmate shortages might result in a modest increase in smoke from big rural fires, and that might cause more deaths via lung damage than the direct fire deaths. But a hasty evacuation is probably at least as risky as handling that via air filters.
The really unusual feature this year is the lightning. I can recall approximately zero instances of dry-season lightning in the bay area between 1994 and 2019 (although it’s more normal farther inland).
I’m fairly sure that inmates are used mostly on long-burning fires.
Deaths directly attributed to fires seem to be almost entirely from fires that have started within an hour or so of the deaths, and those seem to be mostly handled by full-time firefighters who live near the scene.
The pandemic-induced inmate shortages might result in a modest increase in smoke from big rural fires, and that might cause more deaths via lung damage than the direct fire deaths. But a hasty evacuation is probably at least as risky as handling that via air filters.
The really unusual feature this year is the lightning. I can recall approximately zero instances of dry-season lightning in the bay area between 1994 and 2019 (although it’s more normal farther inland).