Kim Kardashian praises jailed firefighters battling LA Flames

Kim Kardashian is using its massive platform to bring attention to a relatively unknown and overlooked group of firefighters battling the devastating Fires in Los Angeles.

“For the past week I have watched my city burn. And we’ve seen and spoken to many firefighters who are up all night using every ounce of their strength to save our community,” Kardashian, 44, said in a series of posts shared via Instagram Stories on Saturday, January 11.

“Thank you @calfire la County Fire and Los Angeles City Fire for all you do to save lives and property,” she added.

Kardashian then went on to praise the trapped firefighters battling the flames. (According to a recent report from The New York Times(At least 900 inmates are currently battling historic fires in and around the Los Angeles area.)

“For all 5 fires in Los Angeles, there are hundreds of trapped firefighters risking their lives to save us,” Kardashian explained. “They’re in the Palisades, Eaton, and Pasadena, working 24-hour shifts. They get paid next to nothing, they risk their lives, some have died to prove to the community that they have changed and are now first responders. I see them as heroes.”

According to California Department of Corrections and RehabilitationTrapped firefighters in the area are “working to cut fire lines and remove fuel to slow the fire,” according to The New York Times. “Their presence provides much-needed manpower to exhausted fire crews,” the paper said.

“Incarcerated firefighters were paid $1 an hour to risk their lives and that pay has been the same since 1984,” Kardashian continues on her Instagram stories. “It was never increased with inflation. It was never erected when the fires got worse and many (firefighters) died. There was a deal this year to raise the pay of incarcerated firefighters to $5 an hour, but it was shot down at the last minute.”

Kardashian, who is also known for her work advocating for prison reform, then called on California Gov. Gavin Newsom to raise the wages of incarcerated firefighters fighting wildfires.

“I’m calling on @cagovernor to do what no governor has done in 4 decades and raise the wages of incarcerated firefighters to a level that honors the human being who puts his life on the line to save our lives and homes,” she wrote.

At least 16 people have lost their lives as a result of five fires around LA, according to local officials. According to NBC newsThe fires have burned at least 37,000 acres and destroyed more than 12,000 structures.

A number of Hollywood celebrities — from Milo Ventimiglia and Anthony Hopkinswith it Eugene Levy and Paris Hilton – lost their homes.

In her post on Saturday, Kardashian also thanked the “firefighters at @calfire Ventura Training Center for saving my community when the fire started this week.”

“These are all FORMER incarcerated firefighters who have returned home and want to continue serving our communities as firefighters,” she continued. “Because of the laws passed by the @antirecidivismcoalition, these people can now get their sentences reduced and the crimes expunged from their records for their fire service.” And when they come home, they can get six firefighter jobs.”

Check LAFD website for local fire warnings and click here resources to help the disabled.