Malibu Beach Camp houses firefighters battling wildfires in Los Angeles | Climate crisis news

A huge village has appeared on the golden sands of a beach in Malibu, housing thousands of firefighters.

Firefighters from all over North America eat, sleep, and recover at Zuma Beach when they’re not fighting wildfires throughout Los Angeles.

About 5,000 first responders mingle among trailers and tents. The camp comes to life before dawn, as thousands line up for breakfast.

The tally of dozens of fire brigades indicates the presence of crews from all over California and the western United States, as well as a contingent of newly arrived Mexicans.

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day for many, as it is an opportunity to load up on calories before their shift.

The food is prepared by a team of inmates from California prisons, who were brought in to help in one of the largest disaster responses the state has ever seen.

Correctional Officer Terry Cook, who supervises inmates at the base, said he sometimes sees a familiar face among the rank-and-file firefighters, someone who is back on track after serving his sentence.

He said: “I met prisoners who were in my camp two years ago, and I saw them lining up here, and I shook their hands and said, ‘Congratulations.’”

Two huge fires in Los Angeles The fire has destroyed 40,000 acres (16,000 hectares) since strong winds blew last Tuesday.

At least 24 people died in the fires that destroyed more than 12,000 structures and forced 92,000 people from their homes, including in the affluent Pacific Palisades area, a few miles from the firefighters’ camp.

After breakfast, the teams prepare their vehicles and arm themselves with snacks, sandwiches, drinks and desserts.

With dangerous winds threatening to blow across a wide swath of the region, some units have been tasked with pouncing on new outbreaks, while others have been tasked with extinguishing the original fire.

In hand, each team takes off, spreading out along the streets of Pacific Palisades, or up into the untamed Topanga Canyon.

For some, this is their first time in the field as part of firefighting efforts. For others, it’s just another day in an already long week.

As he prepares to climb Mandeville Canyon, Jake Dean says he’s never seen a fire as devastating as this in his 26 years as a firefighter.

“After the first day, a lot of the people I had known for a long time at base camp didn’t recognize me,” he said. “My phone wouldn’t recognize me to turn it on, I was so tired and dirty.”

But with massive air operations eating away at the fire on all fronts, Dean can feel the work paying off.

“Today won’t be so bad,” he said. “We will walk fast, drink a lot of water and be prepared for a long period of work here and the next fire.”