In the flames, they are finding redemption. The 10 Oregon prisoners carry chainsaws, axes, shovels and hoes into the biggest wildfires the state has seen in a century. Banding together, they form lines in the forest and trudge up the steep ashen slopes of the Cascade Mountains, hunting embers that could reignite flames. The men are part of a seven-decade-old state-run program that aims to do two basic things: Rehabilitate prisoners by teaching them a trade, and provide extra boots on the ground for intense wildfire seasons. The men in a crew working the forested mountains near Paisley, Oregon, last week were mostly young and fit. They had to be to scale the punishing terrain. Ankle-deep ash slicked hills and meant the men slipped two steps back for each stride forward. REUTERS/Adrees Latif SEARCH "INMATES WILDFIRES" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES Matching text: USA-WILDFIRES/INMATES TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

The exterior of Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., April 9, 2020 amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska 

The exterior of Cook County Jail in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., April 9, 2020 amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak. REUTERS/Jim Vondruska 

A hand of a detained protester is seen inside a police bus after he was detained during a rally calling for opposition candidates to be registered for elections to Moscow City Duma, the capital's regional parliament, in Moscow, Russia July 27, 2019. REUTERS/Tatyana Makeyeva 

Dummies are pictured at a market in a town of Baikonur, Kazakhstan July 17, 2019. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov 

Migrant men from Central America are detained for illegally crossing into the United States from Mexico in Penitas, Texas, U.S., October 5, 2018. REUTERS/Adrees Latif 

Migrant men from Central America are detained for illegally crossing into the United States from Mexico in Penitas, Texas, U.S., October 5, 2018. Picture taken October 5, 2018. REUTERS/Adrees Latif 

An inmate gestures at the state penitentiary in Canoas, Brazil August 30, 2018. Picture taken August 30, 2018. To match Insight BRAZIL-ELECTION/BOLSONARO-VIOLENCE REUTERS/Diego Vara TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

The wire border fence stands near to the village of Bacsszentgyorgy, Hungary, March 25, 2018. REUTERS/Bernadett Szabo SEARCH "SZABO BACSSZENTGYORGY" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY. 

A newspaper is seen in a hospital ward at the Tokushima prison in Tokushima, Japan, March 1, 2018. Picture taken March 1, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai 

Women prisoners attend a yoga class at Chiang Mai Women's Correctional Institute, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, January 25, 2018. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha 

View of Nantes' jail in Carquefou near Nantes as prison wardens attend a nationwide protest, France, January 15, 2018. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe 

A solitary cell is seen at the newly-built extension building of the Justizvollzugsanstalt Lenzburg central prison of the Canton of Aargau in Lenzburg, Switzerland May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann 

The doors of solitary cells are seen at the newly-built extension building of the Justizvollzugsanstalt Lenzburg central prison of the Canton of Aargau in Lenzburg, Switzerland May 23, 2017. REUTERS/Arnd Wiegmann 

A man who told police that he was from Sudan is taken into custody by Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers after arriving by taxi and walking across the U.S.-Canada border into Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada February 13, 2017. Picture taken February 13, 2017. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi 

Iraqi teenager Laith Abbas stands inside a reform centre in Dohuk, Iraq, February 12, 2017. Picture taken February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari 

A teenager reacts during an interview with Reuters in a reform centre in Dohuk, Iraq, February 12, 2017. Picture taken February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari 

The shadow of a teenager (L) is seen behind a door in a reform centre in Dohuk, Iraq, February 12, 2017. Picture taken February 12, 2017. REUTERS/Azad Lashkari 

A cat is seen on a window sill of the public jail in Manaus, Brazil, after some prisoners were relocated following a deadly prison riot, January 4, 2017. REUTERS/Ueslei Marcelino 

Fishermen from India hold handouts as they are guided by policemen, after they were released from a prison, at Cantonment railway station in Karachi, Pakistan, December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro 

Fishermen from India sit with their belongings as they hold a slip with their name and number, after they were released from a prison, at Cantonment railway station in Karachi, Pakistan, December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro 

Fishermen from India sit with their belongings, after they were released from a prison, at Cantonment railway station in Karachi, Pakistan, December 25, 2016. A picture of Mohammad Ali Jinnah (R), founder and first governor-general of Pakistan, hangs on the wall. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro 

Fishermen from India walk out from the prison gate with their belongings after they were released in Karachi, Pakistan, December 25, 2016. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro 

Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang members wait to be escorted upon their arrival at the maximum security jail in Zacatecoluca, El Salvador, November 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Inmates sleep in the open at Quezon City Jail in Manila, Philippines, November 5, 2016. REUTERS/Damir Sagolj SEARCH "DAMIR PRISON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Male inmates pay their respects to the late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej at the Central Correctional Institution for Young Offenders in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok,Thailand October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom 

Male inmates form the Thai symbol for the number nine, in honour of late Thai King Bhumibol Adulyadej, also known as King Rama IX, at the Central Correctional Institution for Young Offenders in Pathum Thani province, on the outskirts of Bangkok,Thailand October 27, 2016. REUTERS/Chaiwat Subprasom TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A drug user, who took his baby hostage during a visit from his family, sits inside an isolation cell as a punishment for his behaviour at Central Luzon Drug Rehabilitation Center in Pampanga province, in northern Philippines, October 7, 2016. The soaring popularity of methamphetamine - a cheap and highly addictive drug Ð is overburdening health services and tearing families and communities apart in Southeast Asia, driving many countries to adopt hardline policies to fight the surge in narcotics use. REUTERS/Erik De Castro SEARCH "DRUG REHAB" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Exterior view of a detention center in Leipzig, Germany October 13, 2016 where a Syrian migrant Jaber Albakr suspected of planning a bomb attack on a Berlin airport has committed suicide, the Justice Ministry for the state of Saxony said on Wednesday. REUTERS/Staff 

British journalist Mazher Mahmood covers his face with his coat as he leaves the Old Bailey Courthouse in London, Britain October 5, 2016. Mazher Mahmood, one of Britain's best known undercover reporters renowned for his "fake sheikh" sting operations, was facing jail on Wednesday after being convicted of plotting to alter evidence in a high-profile court case where he was the main witness. REUTERS/Neil Hall TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

ATTENTION EDITORS - VISUAL COVERAGE OF SCENES OF INJURY OR DEATHFuneral workers remove the masking tape wrapped around the head and the wrists of the body of a man, who police said is a victim of drug related vigilante execution in Manila, Philippines September 21, 2016. REUTERS/Ezra Acayan TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Brock Turner, the former Stanford swimmer convicted of sexually assaulting an unconscious woman, leaves the Santa Clara County Jail in San Jose, California, U.S. September 2, 2016. REUTERS/Stephen Lam TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A woman in a wedding gown walks to a mass wedding ceremony, held 17 male inmates, in the Carcel Villa Hermosa prison in Cali, Colombia, August 19, 2016. REUTERS/Jaime Saldarriaga TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Blindfolds are pictured inside a prison, which according to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters belonged to Islamic State militants, in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Blindfolds are pictured inside a prison, which according to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters belonged to Islamic State militants, in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said 

Handcuffs are pictured inside a prison, which according to Syria Democratic Forces (SDF) fighters belonged to Islamic State militants, in Manbij, Aleppo Governorate, Syria, August 17, 2016. REUTERS/Rodi Said 

Inmates sit on the floor during an inspection visit in the long-term sentence zone inside Klong Prem high-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "THAI PRISON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Inmates sit on the floor during an inspection visit in the long-term sentence zone inside Klong Prem high-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "THAI PRISON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A surveillance camera is seen in the long-term sentence zone inside Klong Prem high-security prison in Bangkok, Thailand July 12, 2016. REUTERS/Jorge Silva SEARCH "THAI PRISON" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

An inmate with the Louisiana Department of Corrections is consoled by friends and family they attend the funeral of Alton Sterling, who was shot dead by police, in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, U.S. July 15, 2016. REUTERS/Jonathan Bachman TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A worker is seen on the Cuadrilla drilling site in Balcombe, southern England August 15, 2013. REUTERS/Gareth Fuller/Pool/File Photo 

A burnt out prison cell belonging to Islamic State militants is seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

View of a prison belonging to Islamic State militants is seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

A member of Iraqi government forces walks inside a burnt out prison cell belonging to Islamic State militants in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

View of a burned prison belonging to Islamic State militants is seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

Burnt out prison cells belonging to Islamic State militants are seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A burnt out prison cell belonging to Islamic State militants is seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

A burnt out prison cell belonging to Islamic State militants is seen in Falluja after government forces recaptured the city from Islamic State militants, Iraq, June 27, 2016. REUTERS/Thaier Al-Sudani 

A Salvadoran policeman guards buses as 1282 members of the Barrio 18 gang are transferred from the cojutepeque jail in Cojutepeque, El Salvador June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas 

A Salvadoran policeman guards buses as 1282 members of the Barrio 18 gang are transferred from the cojutepeque jail in Cojutepeque, El Salvador June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY 

Members of the Barrio 18 Gang wait on a bus as 1282 inmates are transferred from the cojutepeque jail in Cojutepeque, El Salvador June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas 

Members of the Barrio 18 Gang wait on a bus as 1282 inmates are transferred from the cojutepeque jail in Cojutepeque, El Salvador June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas 

Members of the Barrio 18 Gang wait on a bus as 1282 inmates are transferred from the cojutepeque jail in Cojutepeque, El Salvador June 16, 2016. REUTERS/Jose Cabezas 

Backpacks with the colours of the Venezuelan national flag hang on chairs during a class at an improvised classroom above a state-run supermarket, which is part of state school Monsenor Marco Tulio Ramirez Roa, in La Fria, Venezuela, June 1, 2016. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins SEARCH "VENEZUELA SCHOOL" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "THE WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES

An inmate makes handicraft during a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

An inmate with dog talks to a guard during a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

Inmates attend a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016 REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

An inmate gets a haircut during a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016. REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

An inmate makes handicraft during a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016 REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo

Inmates perform during a Father's Day celebration at Castro-Castro prison in Lima, Peru June 14, 2016 REUTERS/Guadalupe Pardo