Blazing a new life

Cynthia Hansen was a rebel in her youth, hanging out with the wrong crowd, doing drugs, and ultimately going to prison for second-degree robbery.Christina Villacorte in the Daily News,

Now 30, and soon to be freed, she believes she has been reformed, thanks to a program that trains minimum-security inmates to become wildland firefighters.

"To fight fires was the most humbling experience of my life," she said. "To see people crying and thanking you for saving their house, kids drawing signs with stuff like `Thank you so much' and `We love you' - that made me feel like I can actually do something with my life."

Hansen volunteered to serve the last half of her seven-year sentence at Conservation Camp 13, which looks nothing like a prison.