• Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. But winds that drove the ferocious flames have eased Friday night, but are expected to return Sunday.  Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press
    Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. But winds that drove the ferocious flames have eased Friday night, but are expected to return Sunday.  less
    Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. But winds that drove the ferocious ... more
    Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press
Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press
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Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. But winds that drove the ferocious flames have eased Friday night, but are expected to return Sunday.  less
Firefighters battle the Woolsey Fire burning a home in Malibu, Calif., Friday, Nov. 9, 2018. A Southern California wildfire continues to burn homes as it runs toward the sea. But winds that drove the ferocious ... more
Photo: Ringo H.W. Chiu / Associated Press

Fighting one of the most destructive wildfires the state has ever seen, it's no surprise Los Angeles firefighters were putting in extra hours in 2018.

All that extra work on the lines of the Woolsey Fire — among other blazes — amounted to $360,010 in overtime pay for one firefighter. That's on top of a $126,965 base salary, according to a report by the Los Angeles Controller.

Though the unnamed firefighter was the only one to crack the $300k in overtime milestone, he or she wasn't alone. Seventeen other firefighters and fire captains made more than $200,000 in overtime last year. When you look at Los Angeles' police and fire departments, 325 staffers made more than $110,000 in overtime.

We looked up the highest paid employees of the San Francisco Fire Department in 2018 to compare. One fire protection engineer made $227,953 in overtime; another fire prevention lieutenant made $211,240.

ALSO: The most striking and terrifying photos of the Kincade Fire

The Los Angeles Fire Department paid out $192.7 million in overtime during the 2018-19 fiscal year.

To help bring that number down, the Controller recommended departments monitoring overtime usage more closely; managers should make sure employees aren't overworked and burning out; and city policymakers should look into "overtime control strategies," like cross-training employees or considering capping the total amount of overtime any individual is allowed to accrue.

Read the LA Controller's full report on city overtime here.

Alix Martichoux is an SFGATE digital editor. Read her latest stories and send her news tips at alix.martichoux@sfgate.com.