“Fire Escape:” One Woman’s Journey Fighting Fires from Behind Bars

The California Report Magazine

Amika Mota felt like she lost everything the day she was sentenced to prison for nearly a decade. But as her world burned down, she learned how to fight fire from inside Central California Women’s Facility (CCWF), one of the largest women’s prisons in the world. Mota and her team of incarcerated firefighters responded to calls from inside the prison and out in the community, including the homes of their correctional officers. Anna Sussman tells Mota’s story in "Fire Escape" a new podcast series from Snap Studios at KQED and Wondery.

The California Report Magazine’s Sasha Khokha spoke with Sussman about Mota’s story, the experiences of incarcerated firefighters in California, and what she hopes people will learn from the series.

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