MALIBU—On Thursday, February 25, Shawna Lynn Jones died after battling a brush fire on Mulholland Drive in Malibu. She was a 22-year-old inmate firefighter from Los Angeles County Jail involved in the firefighting program for the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She was struck on the head by a boulder rolling down a hill while she was fighting the Mulholland Fire.
She was immediately brought to UCLA Medical Center where she was placed in critical condition. Her family took her off of life support later that day after her organs were donated.
Scott Kernan, the Secretary of CDCR, gave the following statement on Friday, February 26: “Her death is a tragic reminder of the danger that inmate firefighters face when they volunteer to confront fires to save homes and lives. On behalf of all of us in the department, I send my deepest condolences to her family.”
The CDCR’s firefighting program provides a valuable public service. The inmates serve as nearly half of the state government’s firefighting ability, and the program provides a chance for rehabilitation. The Malibu Search and Rescue Team took to social media on February 26 to release the following statement: “We are deeply saddened by the loss of inmate firefighter Shawna Jones.” Malibu is one of three camps that house a total of 195 female firefighters.
This is the third casualty of inmate firefighters since the program’s founding in 1943. The cause of the fire is still under investigation by officials.
