Hundreds of incarcerated firefighters, who are trained to respond to emergencies and disasters, were reportedly deployed in Los Angeles.

Nearly 800 prison inmates have been temporarily freed to assist firefighters in controlling the deadly Southern California wildfires that have burned with no end in sight since Tuesday. Those inmates are part of a minimum-security Conservation Camp Program consisting of 35 “fire camps” spread throughout California.

Hundreds of incarcerated people are among the first responders battling the devastating flames, the Washington Post reports. Almost 400 inmates have been deployed to respond to fires in and surrounding Los Angeles County, according to the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation (CDCR).

In some form, inmate firefighters have been used in California since the end of World War II. The state has leaned on inmates to provide additional fire-fighting staff in “hand crews” to help contain the blazes. These teams also respond to other disasters like floods.

Among the thousands of boots on the ground battling the wildfires in Los Angeles are hundreds of incarcerated individuals — a fact that has renewed attention on California's longstanding, but controversial inmate firefighter program.